Poll: Majority of Republican Voters Believe Nikki Haley Should Drop Out

A majority of Republican voters believe former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley should drop out of the Republican primary race, according to an Emerson College Polling survey released Tuesday — one week after her loss in New Hampshire.

The survey showed former President Donald Trump leading Haley by 54 points in the GOP primary race, with 73 percent support from Republican voters. Haley garnered 19 percent support. According to the survey, Trump’s support has jumped 13 points since the last poll, following other candidates dropping out of the race, while Haley’s has risen by ten points.

Nevertheless, the survey asked Republican voters if they believed Haley should drop out of the race, and most, 53 percent, said she should do so. Roughly one-third, 34 percent, think she should remain in the race, and 13 percent are what the survey describes as “neutral.”

The full survey was taken January 26-29, 2024, among 1,260 registered voters. It has a ± 2.7 percent margin of error.

While Haley faces increased pressure to drop out of the race, her campaign laid out a path forward hours ahead of her loss in New Hampshire.

A memo released by her campaign hopes for a strong performance in South Carolina and points out that 11 of the 16 Super Tuesday states have open or “semi-open” primaries. Ultimately, her campaign believes there is “significant fertile ground” for Haley on Super Tuesday by attracting non-conservative voters:

Memo from Haley team implies they’re willing to fight through Super Tuesday

…and rely on independents:

“Eleven of the 16 Super Tuesday states have open or semi-open primaries. Of the 874 delegates available…roughly two thirds are in states with open or semi-open primaries.” pic.twitter.com/wnnayyqcMs

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 23, 2024

Haley supporters have pushed this as well. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), for example, is seemingly urging Democrats to vote for Haley in South Carolina:

On @thepulseofnh this AM, @GovChrisSununu notes that SC primary is "even more open" than #FITN.
"In South Carolina, if you're a Democrat, you can just walk in the door and vote. So there is a lot of opportunity there" for @NikkiHaley in #SouthCarolinaPrimary @NHGOP

— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) January 25, 2024

RELATED — Democrats 4 Haley??! TV Heads Say that Dems Switched to Independent to Vote for Haley in NH

There have been reports that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has considered labeling Trump the presumptive nominee given his sheer dominance, but the former president urged it not to do that, as Trump will “do it the ‘Old Fashioned’ way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX”:

RELATED — Trump Shades Nikki’s Non-Victory Celebration: She Can’t Get Away with “Bullsh*t!”
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