Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been overtaken in two early voting states by former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, two new polls indicate, with the darling of the GOP’s anti-Trump conservatives dropping into third place in both surveys.
Haley, 51, outpaced the 45-year-old DeSantis 16.6% to 12.1% in South Carolina, according to a Winthrop University poll released Tuesday, as 77-year-old former President Donald Trump cruised well ahead of the rest of the primary field with 50.5% support.
DeSantis fared even worse in New Hampshire, receiving 10% of support among 500 likely GOP presidential primary voters compared to Haley’s 19% and Trump’s 49%, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA TODAY survey.
The Haley momentum and Trump’s continued advantage comes as the DeSantis campaign tweaks its strategy to focus on Iowa.
About a third of DeSantis’ Florida staffers were told to relocate to the Hawkeye State Wednesday morning, as the governor plans to hit all 99 counties before the first-in-the-nation Jan. 15 caucus in an attempt to close the gap between him and Trump — who is averaging a 30-point lead, according to Real Clear Politics.
Winning Iowa would show voters the competition is only between him and Trump, the DeSantis campaign told The Post over the weekend.
DeSantis did campaign in South Carolina Wednesday, his first visit to the first-in-the-south primary state since mid-July.
Haley’s campaign has high hopes for a win in South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary to boost her standing in the race. Nationally, the former South Carolina governor is averaging 7.4% support, third behind Trump and DeSantis, RCP calculated.
“South Carolinians know how hard Nikki fought for taxpayers and jobs, and how she took on the establishment and won when she was governor. She takes nothing for granted but is confident she’ll do very well in South Carolina,” Haley rep Ken Farnaso told The Post.
Haley also hopes to make a strong showing in New Hampshire, where primary voters are likely to go to the polls sometime in January.
“Nikki Haley told New Hampshire she would earn every vote—and that’s what she is doing. Nikki has already held more than 50 grassroots events in the Granite State, and she is coming back next week. Our momentum continues to build and we’re just getting started,” Farnaso added.
Trump recently unveiled a new “birdbrain” nickname for Haley as he attacked her last week in a Truth Social post.
“MAGA, or I, will never go for Birdbrain Nikki Haley. No loyalty, plenty of lies!,” Trump wrote, adding, “Birdbrain doesn’t have the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job.”
Haley has taken the attack as a badge of honor, claiming it shows the former president’s camp sees her as a competitive candidate.