Poll: Donald Trump Takes 21-Point Lead in South Carolina

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse,
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Hannah Knudsen

Former President Donald Trump has a 21-point lead in South Carolina’s hypothetical Republican presidential primary race, a Winthrop University survey found.

The survey asked self-identified South Carolina Republicans to indicate who they would support in a field featuring Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

In that crowded field, Trump takes a 21-point lead with 42 percent support. DeSantis comes in a distant second with 20 percent support, and Haley — the former governor of South Carolina who formally announced her presidential bid in February — came closely behind with 18 percent support.

VIDEO: Nikki Haley Launches 2024 Presidential Bid

@NikkiHaley / Twitter

No other potential candidate saw double digit support, as speculation has continued to mount surrounding Sen. Scott’s political future. Lately, the senator has made stops in key states across the country and this week unveiled his 2024 White House exploratory committee.

However, this survey shows Scott garnering just seven percent support and Pence falling behind with five percent support:

Winthrop Poll Director Dr. Scott Huffmon said of the survey’s findings, “Trump is riding high and doubling support over the next candidate in the field.”

“Haley shows more than quadruple her support compared to national polls, but that should be expected on her home turf,” he continued, highlighting the reality that she and DeSantis are “in a statistical dead heat in what could be a firewall for Haley when voting rolls around.”

VIDEO: Nikki Haley’s Tribute to Andrew Breitbart: “We Could All Use a Little Andrew Breitbart Right Now”

The survey was taken among 485 South Carolina Republicans and has a +/- 4.45 margin of error.

Indeed, Haley, who reportedly spoke to Trump prior to launching her presidential bid, has failed to see a significant surge in national polling since jumping into the presidential ring.

RELATED: Nikki Haley Heckled by Trump Supporters at CPAC: “We Love Trump!”

Ada Lluch via Storyful

The most recent Morning Consult survey shows Trump with 56 percent support nationally and Haley coming in fourth place with just four percent support. That is down two percent from the small bump she saw after announcing her launch in February, which brought her to six percent support at the time.

That same survey shows Haley at a disadvantage as far as name recognition goes, as 22 percent said they have never heard of her, while another 16 percent said they have heard of her but have no opinion.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.