Nikki Haley overtakes Ron DeSantis for No. 2 spot in RealClearPolitics polling average

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has surpassed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for second place in the RealClearPolitics poll average of the Republican 2024 primary.

Haley is now polling at 11%, far below former President Donald Trump at 62.7%, but above DeSantis at 10.9%, according to the poll average on Wednesday.

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Trump has consistently dominated the poll average throughout the primary with DeSantis trailing him, often by double digits. However, Haley’s campaign began to see a surge in polling after the first Republican National Committee debate in late August and through the subsequent three debates.

The Haley momentum led to escalating attacks between her campaign and DeSantis, who was once presumed to be the chief alternative candidate to the former president. The two have fought over their ties to China while in office, the Israel-Hamas war, and their stance on transgender surgeries for minors.

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On Nov. 18, Haley finally hit the double digits when she polled at 10.4%, while DeSantis polled at 14.1% and Trump continued to steamroll his rivals at 59.3%, according to RealClearPolitics. The poll bump came 10 days after the third GOP debate in Miami, where Haley called rival Vivek Ramaswamy “scum” for bringing up her daughter’s usage of social media platform TikTok.

After the fourth GOP debate last week in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, DeSantis aggressively hammered Haley over her conservative bona fides on the debate stage in his best performance yet, and the former ambassador repeatedly quipped that DeSantis was “lying” because he was losing.

Yet Haley’s poll numbers continued to rise. Late last month, the Florida governor was leading Haley 12.5% to 12.3%, less than 1 percentage point.

DeSantis is hoping to outright win the Iowa caucuses in a bid to blunt Trump’s march to the GOP nomination, but Haley’s rise in the polls could make that path harder. The Florida governor boasts the endorsements of Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) and influential Iowa evangelic Bob Vander Plaats, leader of the Family Leader.

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) endorsed Haley in mid-December, giving her a much-needed boost ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23, the second nominating contest of the GOP primary.

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DeSantis and Haley have agreed to participate in a CNN debate on Jan. 10 in the Hawkeye State ahead of the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses. It would likely be the final chance either candidate has to convince Iowans to support their campaign before the first nominating contest.

Trump, the front-runner in the primary, has refused to debate his opponents, citing his domination in polls, and is instead holding a town hall event with Fox News while the CNN debate is airing.