Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has tied Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in the Iowa Republican primary race as former President Donald Trump remains in first place and up double digits, the latest Arc Insights/FieldsFreedom24 survey found.
Haley has caught up to DeSantis in the Hawkeye State, as they now tie at 17 percent each. Still, that puts them both 27 points behind Trump, who dominates with 44 percent support in the GOP field.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy comes 12 points behind DeSantis and Haley with five percent support, followed by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with four percent, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum with one percent, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson with less than one percent support.
Notably, former Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are no longer in the presidential race.
The survey was taken November 9-14, 2023, among 600 likely GOP Iowa caucusgoers. It has a ± 3.5 percent margin of error and comes as Haley’s campaign gears up to spend $10 million on ads in Iowa and New Hampshire in hopes of trouncing DeSantis in the polls as each state’s respective election days draw nearer.
As Breitbart News reported:
More specifically, the Haley campaign is investing $10 million in ads for both Iowa and New Hampshire, which will kick off in December. The Associated Press describes the move as a “massive investment designed to give the former United Nations ambassador an advantage over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a critical moment in the GOP nomination fight.”
Further, this investment is reportedly “five times larger than DeSantis’ current advertising reserves for the same time period,” and it comes fresh on the heels of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott dropping out of the race, leaving his supporters up for grabs.
DeSantis’s efforts in early states have failed to materialize despite positive spins from his campaign. A recent Iowa State University/Civiqs poll found Trump earning majority support in Iowa — 54 percent — with DeSantis and Haley following at 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Monday’s RealClearPolitics (RCP) average of polls found Trump leading by double digits in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. Haley trails DeSantis by three points in Iowa but leads him in both South Carolina and New Hampshire. Notably, DeSantis has since fallen to fourth place in the Granite State, behind Christie, as well.