Greenville, South Carolina – As the clock ticks down to Saturday’s Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, a new poll shows former President Trump is the last remaining major rival in the race for the Republican nomination. He maintains a huge double-digit lead over Nikki Haley.
Trump, the likely front-runner for the Republican nomination to run for the White House for a third consecutive year, is likely to vote in Saturday’s Republican presidential primary, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Tuesday. It has 63% support among people with
Haley, who served two terms as governor of the Palmetto State and later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, is at 35% in a poll conducted Feb. 15-18. The survey, latest this month, suggests Haley faces a steep uphill climb in her home state.
Across the top line, the poll shows Trump leading among Republicans questioned by a wide margin, 72% to 25%, and Haley leading among independents by a narrow margin of 53% to 46%. It also shows that there are.
Final rival position: Haley faces major challenge with Trump in her home country
Republican presidential candidate former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Charleston Area Convention Center on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (AP Photo/David Iasel)
South Carolina’s Republican primary is open to all voters unless they have already voted in the Democratic presidential primary on February 3, but nearly two-thirds of those sampled in the survey identified themselves as Republicans. Only 28% of respondents identified themselves as Republicans. Independent.
In last month’s New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, Ms. Haley received 43% of the vote, giving her an 11-point lead over Mr. Trump and was largely supported by independents.
Haley shines spotlight on Trump chaos as judge sets ex-president’s hush money trial date
Haley began to become more critical of Trump last month when she became the former president’s final rival for the Republican nomination. What’s more, Haley has stepped up those attacks in recent days.
Haley spoke at rallies in Greenville and Camden on Monday, marking a week in which Trump has vowed to stay out of Moscow’s way if Russian leader Vladimir Putin attacks NATO members that don’t pay their dues in full. Pointing to his previous controversial remarks, he reiterated his condemnation at Monday’s rally. Her rival “gets upset when you turn off the teleprompter.”
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, former two-term South Carolina governor and later ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at a rally in Camden, South Carolina, on February 19, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Haley also slammed Trump for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which many around the world believe was ordered by President Putin.
“I don’t know why he keeps getting weak in the knees when it comes to Russia. But let me tell you, Russia is not weak in the knees,” Haley insisted.
The day before, at a Fox News South Carolina town hall hosted by John Roberts, Haley noted the former president’s silence on Navalny’s death, saying, “Donald Trump blamed Putin for Navalny.” You need to answer whether you are thinking about it.”
Haley shines spotlight on Trump chaos as judge sets ex-president’s hush money trial date
Speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, Haley claimed that Trump is too focused on his legal troubles and multiple trials and lawsuits, saying, “Trump is talking late at night about his trial. “He is going to be in court for the rest of his term.” We cannot be distracted. ”
Haley also continued to harshly criticize Trump for his recent comments mocking her husband Michael’s absence from campaigning while he is overseas. She uses these statements by the former president to highlight his long history of disrespecting military personnel.
However, David Paleologos, director of political research at Suffolk University, found that in this poll, “Despite Mr. Trump’s questioning of Haley’s husband’s existence, he was more likely to support military households in South Carolina than non-military households.” It was noted that the results showed that they had won by a large margin.
“In some circles of the Republican primary, there’s nothing that sticks with Trump,” Paleologos said.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump takes the stage during the Get Out The Vote rally at Coastal Carolina University on February 10, 2024 in Conway, South Carolina. South Carolina’s Republican primary election will be held on February 24th. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump won a majority of votes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary last month, and won landslide victories in the Nevada and Virgin Islands caucuses two weeks ago, moving him toward clinching the nomination. moved.
In Haley’s home state of South Carolina, the former president enjoys the support of the state’s governor, nearly the entire Congressional delegation, and numerous state legislators and local officials.
At a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina last week, President Trump touted his commanding lead over Haley, stressing that “she’s in a corner.” “She’s done.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told Fox News: “Nikki Haley can’t name a single state she can win, and in five days she’s going to be destroyed in her own backyard.” It’s no surprise that Trump is throwing embarrassing daily tantrums against President Trump.” It’s becoming more and more hopeless. ”
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President Trump will return to South Carolina on Tuesday to headline a Fox News town hall in Greenville moderated by Laura Ingraham. The pre-recorded, hour-long event will focus on both domestic issues and foreign conflicts and will air at 7pm ET.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and later ambassador to the United Nations, takes aim at former President Trump, addressing a large crowd at a rally in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 19, 2024. Establish. . (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Hours earlier, Ms. Haley is scheduled to deliver a speech in Greenville that her campaign calls “The State of the Racial Situation.”
Although Trump has the lead in the race for the Republican nomination, Haley has repeatedly pointed to general election polls that suggest she will be the stronger Republican standard-bearer if she faces President Biden in November.
She reiterated that claim on the campaign trail Monday.
“Donald Trump can’t win, and we have to win. That’s the biggest thing. He lost it for us in 2018. He lost it for us in 2020. He lost it for us in 2022. Look at last week. He lost again’ lawsuit on immunity and from now on he will be named the People’s Trump,” she stressed. .
Haley argued, “Everything he touches, we lose. How many more losses do we have to lose before we can say he might be the problem?”
Ms Haley has raised significant amounts of money so far this year, telling supporters: “I’m in this for the long term.”
“Our focus is on South Carolina, Michigan and Super Tuesday,” she reiterated to FOX News Digital in a recent interview.
Michigan will hold its primary on Tuesday, February 27th, three days after South Carolina, and 15 states will hold elections on Super Tuesday, March 5th.
Speaking to a large crowd in Greenville on Monday night, Haley pointed to the coming weeks and vowed to keep up the hard work: “I promise you, I’m in this fight, bruises and all.” “I will bear the burden. I will also bear the scars. This,” he said. “It’s going to be hard and I’m going to hurt because I don’t think good things come easy. Sometimes you have to feel the pain to be grateful for your blessings.”
Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey and Kirill Clark contributed to this report.
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