Former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is closing the gap with former United States President Donald Trump in a new poll in New Hampshire, where she has brought down the difference to single digits.
The former South Carolina governor is working tirelessly to close in on the Republican frontrunner and was able to shore up more support that could lead to a determinative contest in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Poll
On Tuesday, CNN released a new poll that the University of New Hampshire conducted just two weeks before the state's first-in-the-nation primary. It showed that Haley was cutting down Trump's lead, having 32% of the vote to the former president's 39%.
She is now trailing the Republican businessman by only seven percentage points, which is a reduction of 12 from her previous University of New Hampshire poll standing. As per ABC News, the latest figures are a positive signal for Haley, who has received several key endorsements over the last month.
These include support from New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and the powerful Americans for Prosperity Action, which billionaire GOP mega-donor Charles Koch backs. Christopher Galderi, a professor at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, said that the latest development indicates that there could be some real movement toward Haley.
He noted that the former ambassador to the United Nations is emerging as the main alternative to Trump as the presidential candidate for the GOP. Haley's biggest gains have come from undeclared voters, a key constituency in the fiercely independent Live Free or Die state.
Amongst these voters, the former South Carolina governor garnered support from 43% of those surveyed, an increase of 18 points since the last November poll. It was also the largest share of any other candidate.
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Nikki Haley Closes Gap With Donald Trump
Despite the development, Trump still holds a meaningful lead in the New Hampshire poll, as all other candidates, except for Haley, are trailing by significant margins. According to CNN, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had 12%, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy had 8%, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had 5%, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had less than 1%.
While Haley is enjoying a modest growth in supporters in New Hampshire, these are seen as less solidly committed than Trump's base. Roughly 80% of the former president's backers say they have decided on him. In contrast, only 54% of Haley's supporters have said the same.
But in a separate Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA Today survey, Trump had 46% of the vote while Haley was at 27%, marking a 19 percentage point difference. From January 3 to January 7, live calls to landlines and cellphones were used to conduct the poll, which included 1,000 voters. It was said to have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Being in third place in New Hampshire, Christie has also rejected calls from attendees at his town halls to drop out and support Haley. It was also found that 65% of those who support him would break for Haley if he was not in the race, according to Politico.
