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A new poll shows former President Donald Trump holds a significant lead over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination in her home state.
Trump reportedly leads Haley by 29 points in South Carolina with a 54% to 25% advantage in the Emerson College poll released on Friday (January 5), eight weeks prior to the state's primary scheduled for February 24. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly a distant third at 7%.
The new poll comes weeks after another released by American Research Group, Inc. reported that Haley, 51, a former ally turned political rival who served as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, was reportedly favored by 29% of likely GOP voters in the state of New Hampshire, which will hold the first primary election -- following the Iowa caucus -- on January 23.
Trump, 77, still led all candidates at 33%, however, the 4% projected margin was the smallest between the former president and any other Republican candidate to date.
Trump also holds a 33% to 32% edge over Haley among voters who said they would definitely turn out for the January 23 primary. Haley recently gained momentum as the alternative to Trump, receiving an endorsement from the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Action in November, who claimed she “offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat [President] Joe Biden next November.”
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also encouraged wealthy business leaders to support Haley as a way to "get a choice on the Republican side that might be better than Trump" the day after the AFP Action endorsement.
"The more voters hear from Nikki Haley, the more they like her,” said Ashley Davis, vice chair of Winning for Women Action Fund, a Republican super PAC intended to support the election of conservative women, in a statement obtained by USA TODAY last month. “Her conservative record and positive vision are clearly resonating, and she's ridden that momentum into second place in critical early states.”