Former President Donald Trump is dominating the Republican competition ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
While Trump has a strong lead, he faces a late surge from Nikki Haley.
What Happened: The latest Morning Consult poll of nationally registered Republican voters shows Trump with a 55-point lead over the competition.
While Trump's lead has been 50 points or more in recent weeks, Haley hit 11% support and is tied with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place. In recent months, Haley has been surging in the polls and gaining support from Republican voters.
One concern for Haley could be her showing in her home state of South Carolina. A recent Emerson College poll shows Trump with a lead in the state.
Here's a look at how the Republican candidate fared in the recent poll of South Carolina registered voters:
Donald Trump: 54%
Niki Haley: 25%
Ron DeSantis: 7%
Chris Christie: 5%
Vivek Ramaswamy: 3%
Undecided: 6%
Trump has a 29-point lead over Haley in the state of South Carolina, which is less than his 55-point national lead in the Morning Consult poll. However, the sizable lead comes in a state where Haley served as governor for eight years and was a member of the state's House of Representatives.
The good news for Haley might be her lead among Independent voters in the state. Haley received 37% of the vote from Independents, compared to 33% for Trump. Among Republican voters, Trump had a sizable 62% to 21% advantage.
"The current state of the race in South Carolina finds Trump as the frontrunner with Haley as his main opponent," Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said. "A key question arising from the poll is whether Haley can mobilize ample support in her home state before the primary."
Related Link: Nikki Haley Promises To Pardon Trump If She Becomes President ‘So That We Can Move On As A Country’
Why It's Important: The South Carolina Republican primary is Feb. 24, which comes after earlier decisions in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Haley is actively campaigning in those states and has polled well there. A recent New Hampshire poll saw Trump with 37% of the vote and Haley with 33% in a close race. Undecided voters in the poll also preferred Haley with 36% compared to 29% for Trump.
The former South Carolina governor continues to rank second or third in most polls behind Trump and has momentum heading into the early voting states.
A strong performance by Haley in Iowa and New Hampshire could keep her momentum going and help her win her home state.
A poor showing by Haley in Iowa and New Hampshire or failure to win the state of South Carolina could prove to be an uphill battle for the presidential candidate.
Haley has been a strong performer at the Republican primary debates according to most experts. Haley and DeSantis will take part in a fifth Republican primary debate on Jan. 10 at 9 p.m., with Trump choosing to skip and Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie not qualifying.
The fifth debate will air on CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD.
Photo: Shutterstock
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