New Hampshire GOP primary a 2-person race between Trump and Haley, new poll indicates
MANCHESTER, N.H. – With six days to go until New Hampshire's Republican presidential primary, a new poll indicates former President Trump remains the clear frontrunner, with former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley firmly in second place and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a distant third.
Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, grabs 50% support among those likely to vote in next Tuesday's New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, according to a survey released Wednesday by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston.
Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, stands at 34% support, with DeSantis at 5%. Six percent said they were undecided and 3% were backing another candidate.
The poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday evenings, during and after Trump scored a massive victory in Monday night's Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
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Trump smashed the competition in Iowa, winning 51% of the vote, with DeSantis a distant second at 21% and Haley in third at 19%.
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However, New Hampshire has a very different electorate than Iowa. Moderate voters in the Granite State are highly influential, and the state's independents – who can vote in either major party primary – have long played a crucial role in New Hampshire's storied presidential contest.
The new poll shows Trump with a massive 61%-34% lead over Haley among registered Republicans, with Haley topping Trump 44%-38% among independents.
While the former president holds a commanding 6%-18% lead over his former U.N. ambassador among self-described conservatives, Haley leads 56%-27% among those who consider themselves moderate or liberal.
"Trump is pulling out Republicans and male independents," Suffolk University Political Research Center director David Paleologos told Fox News.
However, he noted that Haley is "beating Trump two-to-one among moderates and female independents. That's her strength."
The survey, which questioned 500 likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire, had an overall sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.