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Poll: Trump’s Lead Grows Over South Carolina Primary Field
In South Carolina, the second GOP primary state in the US, more than four out of ten potential voters support former President Donald Trump as their party's nominee for 2024, while three other contenders receive double-digit support, per a poll.
According to the National Public Affairs poll, which was issued on Wednesday, 41% of the 809 respondents support Trump for the GOP nomination. With two opponents within striking distance, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), his closest rival, is sitting 23 points behind him at 18 percent.
For comparison, the pollster's May survey put Trump at 38% and DeSantis at 23%, an eight-point shift in Trump's favor from the previous month. However, that poll was done before DeSantis' campaign began.
Former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC), who presided over the Palmetto State from 2011 to 2017, is in third place with 12% of the vote, followed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a fellow South Carolinian, with 10%. Chris Christie (R-NJ) is supported by another 5% of voters, while Mike Pence (R-IN), Vivek Ramaswamy (IN), and Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) are tied for second place with 2% each. Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) takes one percent, while six percent are undecided.
Interestingly, the poll was done before former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) entered the race earlier this week and does not include declared candidates radio presenter Larry Elder, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, or businessman Perry Johnson.
With 28% of the independent vote, Trump also has a double-digit advantage over the competition. With 16%, Haley is the second most popular, followed by DeSantis (13%), Scott (12%), and Christie (11%).
Trump won all of the state’s delegates back in 2016 with just 32.5 percent of the vote. He beat out his nearest competition, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), who had 22.5% and 22.3% of the vote, respectively.
According to the polling data, Trump currently has significant leads in the two counties that Rubio won in 2016—Charleston and Richmond. Trump also enjoys a 26% advantage in Greenville County, where he defeated Cruz by only 2% seven years ago.
Between June 20 and 21, National Public Affairs polled 809 likely GOP primary voters. There wasn't a margin of error mentioned.
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