Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is likely headed for a crushing double-digit loss to former President Donald Trump in her home state’s upcoming Republican primary election, early polls suggest.
According to a CBS News survey of GOP voters in South Carolina last week, Trump leads by a massive margin ahead of the primary election on February 24, racking up 65 percent support to Haley’s 30 percent—a difference of 35 points. These numbers are mirrored across other polls conducted in the same time period, indicating that Haley cannot rely on a home-field advantage to bolster her struggling campaign.
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The CBS poll also found that three-quarters of South Carolina’s Republicans say that Haley’s time as governor makes “no difference” in their decision. Only 20 percent of respondents indicated that it made them “more likely to vote for her,” and another 5 percent said it made them “less likely” to do so.
The poll results paint a grim picture for Haley’s presidential ambitions, which have persisted despite the former governor’s flagging poll numbers. Following a distant third-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses and a second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary (only made possible by the exit of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis), Haley pledged to press on with her campaign and maintained that she is the best non-Trump option for the GOP.
In last week’s Nevada primary, Haley suffered another humiliating defeat when she secured less than a third of the vote despite being the only candidate to appear on the ballot. The “none of these candidates” option received 63 percent of the vote—more than double Haley’s 30.1 percent.
Related: Nikki Haley Predicts Kamala Harris Will Replace Biden in March
As her home state’s primary approaches, Haley has banked heavily on former President Trump’s ongoing legal troubles to increase her chances. However, despite four criminal cases and a number of civil suits pending against him, Trump’s popularity with voters has only increased while Haley’s approval rating has dropped by double-digits since the end of last year.
Haley has also seen dwindling support from major donors, including billionaire Reid Hoffman, who pulled his funding after the New Hampshire vote.
The South Carolina Republican primary will be held on Saturday, February 24th.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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