Former RINO South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is trying to forge her path as the establishment alternative to Donald Trump.
But Haley just learned some bad news.
And Nikki Haley had to read it and weep when she saw the results of this bombshell poll.
In the 2000, 2008, and 2016 Presidential campaigns, the South Carolina Primary proved decisive.
The winner of that Primary motored into Super Tuesday with a full head of steam and racked up a delegate lead that put them on a glide path to the nomination.
As the popular former Governor of South Carolina, Haley viewed her home state as the battlefield to deal Trump a decisive defeat.
A Des Moines Register poll showing Haley tied with DeSantis in Iowa, as well as other polls showing her ahead of him in New Hampshire, had the GOP establishment believing there was a chance that she could stop Trump for the nomination.
A new CNN poll out of South Carolina should dash those hopes.
CNN found Trump far out in front with 53 percent of the vote, more than double the share Haley earned.
📊 2024 South Carolina GOP Primary
• Trump — 53% (+31)
• Haley — 22%
• DeSantis — 11%
• Scott — 6%
• Christie — 2%
• Ramaswamy — 1%CNN/SSRS | Oct. 18-25 | 738 LV https://t.co/2jNNDaHOZo pic.twitter.com/vPfvQmASBg
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) October 31, 2023
This poll also showed the idea that the GOP establishment can winnow the field down to Trump and one alternative is a hopeless endeavor.
Even if Trump were to face Haley and she won 100 percent of the vote share from the other candidates – which won’t happen – Trump would still defeat her.
That’s because the poll also showed that Haley is running for the nomination in a Republican Party that no longer exists.
The centerpiece of Haley’s campaign message is a recreation of the GOP foreign policy doctrine of the Bush/McCain/Romney years.
Haley is a proud supporter of a blank check for Ukraine and leveled her sharpest attacks against Trump over his America First foreign policy.
The CNN poll showed Haley’s support is the strongest among the country club Republicans who dominated the Party in the early 2000s and that Trump crushes her among the GOP’s new working-class base.
“Many of the demographic and ideological divides present at the national level hold true in the state as well. Trump leads Haley by 50 percentage points among likely voters without a college degree (66% to 16%) and by 40 points among Republicans (59% to 19%). By contrast, Trump and Haley are tied among college graduates (32% support each) and see similar levels of support among independents who say they’re likely to vote in the GOP primary (38% back Trump, 34% Haley),” CNN reported.
