Donald Trump has cemented his lead over his rivals for the Republican nomination despite being charged with a slew of felony indictments.

His popularity with the Republican base has only been been strengthened by ongoing legal challenges alleging he tried to overturn the 2020 election.

Meanwhile the former president's main challenger, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, has seen a further slump in the polls and appears to be losing his grip on the race.

Despite a promising start with his “war on woke” chiming with many Republicans, his campaign seems to have stalled. 

Alarmingly for Mr DeSantis, other contenders have been eating into his lead as “the best of the rest”, with biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy captuting the eyes of voters in the first Republican debate.

His full-throated support of Mr Trump and promise to pardon the president if he wins the election has seen him eclipse more established and seasoned rivals in the race.

If the polls prove accurate then several candidates could have difficulty in sustaining their campaigns after the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries and the Iowa Caucus.

Those who appear most vulnerable include former Arkansas governor, Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and former Texas congressman, Will Hurd.

Several other prominent candidates in a large field have not fared well in early polling as might have been expected.

Former vice-president Mike Pence has been polling single digits in almost every poll, suggesting his decision to distance himself from Mr Trump has not gone down well with grassroots Republicans.

And Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and fierce Trump critic, has shown little sign of breaking away from the pack. The same could be said of Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor.