Nikki Haley gaining ground in New Hampshire behind Trump: Poll

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is surging in New Hampshire just over one month before the GOP presidential primary in the state, according to a new poll.

Haley has the support of 29% of likely GOP primary voters, compared to former President Donald Trump‘s 44%, a CBS News poll released on Sunday shows. The figure is the highest percentage Haley has received in the Granite State during this campaign, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

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The survey also shows Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at 11%, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 10%, Vivek Ramaswamy at 5%, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson at 1%.

Haley was rated the most likable of the Republican candidates, with 55% of those surveyed saying such, compared to only 37% for DeSantis, 36% for Ramaswamy and Trump, and 24% for Christie. She also was rated as the most reasonable, with 51% of those polled agreeing with that assessment, compared to 37% saying DeSantis is reasonable, 36% saying Trump is reasonable, and 27% saying Christie and Ramaswamy are reasonable.

A high percentage of those surveyed did say that Trump (66%) and DeSantis (45%) were strong leaders, compared to Haley (41%), while a larger number also said that Trump (51%) would definitely beat President Joe Biden compared to only 32% saying the same about Haley.

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The strong poll numbers for Haley came days after Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) endorsed the former South Carolina governor and shortly after the Koch-back Americans for Prosperity endorsed her. Despite the figures being the highest for Haley in the primary, she still trails Trump, who appears likely to win the Republican nomination. Trump’s strong showing in polls has caused Haley and DeSantis to have to stave off talks they may be running to be the former president’s running mate in 2024.

The New Hampshire Republican presidential primary is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2024, only eight days after the first contest in the presidential nominating process — the Iowa caucuses.