The Trump family is dominating speaker slots at this year's RNC and new polling that shows they are the most popular GOP figures might explain why.
The poll, conducted by a DC-based data company Morning Consult together with Politico, found first lady Melania Trump is the most popular Republican figure amongst all voters. Some 45 percent of respondents to the poll viewed her favourably.
She is the most popular amongst all voters, although with Republicans specifically, it's the president who wins. Eighty-five percent of GOP voters view Donald Trump favorably, though his share with overall voters is of 42 percent.
The list of the top five most favored GOP members further includes another two Trump family members, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
All four rank higher among voters than high-profile Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
The survey, conducted from August 21 to 23 among 1,992 registered voters, and which has a 2 percent margin of error, was released on the first day of the RNC.
Besides his wife and two children mentioned above, speakers at the convention will also include two of his other children, Eric Trump and Lara Trump, and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. Trump Jr.'s partner, Kimberley Guilfoyle, also spoke.
Vice President Mike Pence—set to speak at the Convention on Wednesday—is the second most popular amongst Republican voters, at 80 percent favorability. Among all voters, he, like Trump, has 42 percent favorability.
Despite a good showing for the president amongst the Republican electorate, Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads among all voters.
The poll showed that 52 percent of likely voters would vote for Biden if the election were held now compared with 42 percent who said they'd re-elect Trump.
The list of speakers at the RNC this year also shows a contrast between Trump and his party's past.
While former Democrat presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter all delivered speeches at last week's Democratic National Convention (DNC), George W. Bush, the only living former Republican president, is not listed to appear at the RNC.
More than 20 former Republican members of Congress also noted their intention to not vote to re-elect Trump in this year's elections. The most prominent member in that list was former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake.
On the first night of the RNC, some of those to deliver addresses were Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Mark and Patty McCloskey, the St. Louis, Missouri couple who became well-known after pointing firearms at racial justice protesters who walked past their house.
