by Mary Lou Masters
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley jumped by 14 points to second place in the key early primary state of New Hampshire, according to a Wednesday poll.
Haley received 18% support, a massive increase from her 4% support in August, behind only former President Donald Trump’s 49%, according to an Emerson College poll. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in third with 9% support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fell to fourth at 7%.
“Yet another poll showing Nikki Haley is the best challenger to beat both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Haley campaign spokesperson Ken Farnaso told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “She is second in New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina and is the only candidate with upward momentum. Voters are rallying to Nikki’s strength and toughness while others continue to sink in the polls.”
The survey found that support for Haley increased from 4% to 18% since August, while DeSantis dropped by only 1 point, and Trump and Christie remained the same. The only other GOP candidate to increase their support was conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who received a 2-point bump.
Haley has also jumped to second place in other polls for a New Hampshire primary, an Iowa caucus and a South Carolina primary.
“This is a huge problem for Ron DeSanctimonious as he continues to fall further behind Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley as they battle for distant second place,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told the DCNF. “Whereas, President Trump remains the dominant frontrunner by record-breaking margins.”
However, when voters were asked their second choice candidate, a plurality chose DeSantis at 22%, while 18% tapped Haley and 15% chose Ramaswamy.
📊 2024 New Hampshire GOP Primary
Trump 49% (=)
Haley 18% (+14)
Christie 9% (=)
DeSantis 7% (-1)
Ramaswamy 5% (+2)
Scott 2% (-4)
Burgum 2% (-2)[Change vs August]
Emerson | 465 RV | November 10-13https://t.co/sWVJ7UeSNs pic.twitter.com/ajtO0pgNYM
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) November 15, 2023
The survey also found Haley beating President Joe Biden in a general election matchup 45% to 39%, while Trump and DeSantis both lost by 5 and 8 points, respectively.
Haley is leading Biden by nearly 3 points on average compared to Trump‘s 0.7 points, while DeSantis is 0.4 points behind the president, according to the RealClearPolitics (RCP).
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Nov. 5 found Haley winning against Biden in all of the six crucial battleground states surveyed — Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — anywhere from 3 to 13 points. The same survey also found Trump beating Biden in all of the states, but with smaller margins, and DeSantis securing four states and tying with the president in two.
The RCP average for a 2024 national Republican primary, based on polls conducted between Oct. 26 and Nov. 12, indicates Haley has 9% support behind only Trump and DeSantis with 58% and 14.5%, respectively.
The Emerson College survey polled 917 registered New Hampshire voters from Nov. 10 to Nov. 13 with a margin of error of 3.3%.
DeSantis did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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Mary Lou Masters is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Nikki Haley” by Nikki Haley.