Nikki Haley has a lot of ground to make up if she's going to have any hope of winning the Republican primary in the state she governed for eight years, according to a Washington Post/Monmouth University poll. The survey of 815 potential GOP primary voters in South Carolina puts former President Trump in the lead with 58% support, compared to 32% for Haley. By wide margins, Trump was seen as better on key issues, except abortion, and his supporters were more enthusiastic and more likely to vote, the Post reports. Some 45% of poll respondents said they had a favorable impression of Haley, down from 59% in September.
Trump was supported by almost 70% of white evangelical voters, who make up a big share of GOP primary voters in the state. Trump also had a big lead among those who believe his false claims about the 2020 election. Among the 57% of potential GOP primary voters who said President Biden won because of fraud, more than 80% supported Trump. Some 70% of those who said Biden won "fair and square" supported Haley. South Carolina's Republican primary is on Feb. 24, and Haley aims to best her performance in the New Hampshire primary, where she received 43% of the vote, compared to 54% for Trump.
In what the Post describes as a "sign of potential problems" for Trump, 36% said he should be replaced if he's convicted of a crime after winning the Republican nomination. Haley, who faced calls to drop out of the race after her New Hampshire defeat, has committed to staying in the race until at least March 5, which is Super Tuesday, Politico reports. In the latest Quinnipiac poll, Haley fared better than Trump in hypothetical head-to-heads with Biden. (More Election 2024 stories.)
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