Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's 2024 support doubled among Republicans in a post-campaign launch boom, according to a new poll.
Some 6% of Republican voters back Haley, up from 3% the same pollster pegged a week prior, but she still dramatically trails heavyweight Republicans former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, per a Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday.
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Most significantly, Haley's popularity exploded among Republican voters, soaring to 62% favorability, up from 17% before her campaign launch, the poll found. She became Trump's first major GOP primary challenger last week and has since stumped in Iowa and New Hampshire to kick her campaign into gear.
Trump dominates potential contenders, with 50% support, followed by DeSantis at 30%. Former Vice President Mike Pence is tied with Haley at 6%. Haley has been pegged at fourth place among her likely GOP primary peers, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Of the Republicans polled, only DeSantis managed to top President Joe Biden in a hypothetical general election, and by just 1 percentage point. Haley lags behind Biden by 35% to 41%.
DeSantis has been tight-lipped about his 2024 plans but has reportedly eyed a summertime campaign debut. Biden has not yet officially declared his candidacy but has maintained that he intends on running.
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Democrats have already begun taking aim at Haley, ripping her for showing coziness with Trump during her work in his administration and harping on her past remarks about the Confederacy. Some Republicans, such as former national security adviser John Bolton, have speculated that she is really vying for a vice presidential gig.
The general poll surveyed 5,000 registered voters from Feb. 17-19 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point. The Republican sample of the poll featured 3,217 potential Republican voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 to 2 percentage points.