AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former President Donald Trump will hold his first campaign rally ahead of the 2024 election on Saturday in Waco, and according to new polling by the Texas Politics Project, Trump “remains well liked among Texas Republicans.”

Trump’s job approval rating was always high amongst Texas Republicans, never dropping below 78% throughout his presidency, according to the Texas Politics Project.

His favorability ratings amongst Texas Republicans, and likely GOP primary voters, have remained consistently strong — even in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Eighty-one percent of Republican voters surveyed in February 2021 said Trump’s actions that day do not disqualify him from holding future office.

A February 2023 survey of GOP Texas voters showed 56% wanted the former president to run for office again. Amongst independent voters, 63% said Trump should not run again, according to the Texas Politics Project.

While Trump is highly favored, he is not the only popular GOP politician amongst Texas Republican voters. In the Texas Politics Project’s most recent February poll, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trailed four points behind Trump in terms of favorability at 75%. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott enjoyed the highest rating, with 85% of Republican voters viewing him favorably.

More than two-thirds of Texas Republicans, 69%, polled by the Texas Politics Project in February 2023 believed Joe Biden didn’t win the 2020 election legitimately.

Trump last visited Austin in May 2022 as part of his “American Freedom Tour.” He is expected to speak around 5 p.m. Saturday in Waco.

A Manhattan grand jury is deciding whether to indict Trump over the alleged payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

That evidence will be used in the jury’s consideration about whether the Trump Organization violated campaign finance laws and falsified business records.

Trump claimed on the social media network Truth Social that he would be arrested earlier this week. Any possible indictment would not happen until next week at the earliest. The case won’t be discussed again until Monday.