Trump lead over Haley expands in closing days before New Hampshire GOP presidential primary

MANCHESTER, N.H. – With two days to go until New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, a new poll indicates former President Donald Trump remains the commanding frontrunner, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley behind by double-digits, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a distant third.

Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, grabs 55% support among those likely to vote in Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, according to a daily tracking poll released Sunday morning by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston.

The former president’s support edged up two points from Saturday’s tracking poll.

Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, stands at 36%, with her support unchanged from the previous day.

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Former UN ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a rally, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

DeSantis, once the clear runner-up to Trump in most polling, pulled in 6% support, edging down a point over the past 24 hours.

The poll was conducted Friday and Saturday evenings, entirely after Trump scored a convincing victory in Monday night’s low-turnout Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

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A poll from Saint Anselm College that was also conducted after the Iowa caucuses also indicates Trump with a lead in the mid-teens over Haley and DeSantis in single digits in New Hampshire.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, holds a news conference at Saint Anselm College, on Jan. 19, 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Meanwhile, a new survey released Friday from Marist College indicates Haley performing better against President Biden than either Trump or DeSantis in hypothetical general election matchups in November in New Hampshire, which is a key battleground state.

The survey indicates Haley edging Biden by three points, while the president tops Trump by seven points and DeSantis by nine points. Haley repeatedly emphasized on the campaign trail that she would perform better against Biden in the general election than Trump would fare against the president.

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“We need big margins, “Trump urged his supporters as he spoke at a rally Saturday night in Manchester, which is New Hampshire’s largest city. “Because we have to send real unity as a message.” 

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd during a campaign event in Manchester, N.H., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

But the former president’s campaign appeared to be tempering expectations.

“A win is a win,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told reporters ahead of the rally. “A win by five, a win by six, a win by seven.”

And LaCivita argued that Haley should end her campaign if she doesn’t win on Tuesday, saying “she should drop out.”

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But Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Saturday that they’re moving full speed ahead to South Carolina, which holds the next major contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar, on Feb. 24.

Ankney said Haley will hold a large event in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday, the same day that the campaign will launch a $4 million statewide ad blitz.

The Suffolk University poll questioned 500 likely Republican presidential primary voters in New Hampshire, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

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