South Carolina Poll: Trump Leads as Tim Scott Gains Steam

Former President Donald Trump is boasting a strong lead in South Carolina’s Republican primary race, but Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are also gaining steam — less than a week after Scott told Breitbart News that it is absolutely not a two-man race — the latest National Research Inc. poll found.

The survey, commissioned by American Greatness, showed Trump with a strong 25-point lead against his closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump has 43 percent support, followed by DeSantis with 18 percent support.

However, both Scott and Haley are experiencing an uptick in the polls, as Scott comes just five percent behind DeSantis with 12 percent support. Haley trails with ten percent support, and every other remaining individual listed has one percent support or less.

VIDEO: Sen. Tim Scott Announces Run for President of the United States

Tim Scott / YouTube

The survey also found voters choosing Trump rather than DeSantis as the best candidate to “improve our economy.” Republicans also give Trump the edge against DeSantis as the “strongest to oppose far-left progressives” (42 percent to DeSantis’s 20 percent). Thirty-six percent believe Trump “cares about the needs and concerns of people like me” compared to 19 percent for DeSantis. Further, 34 percent believe Trump has the best chance to beat Biden, compared to 29 percent who said the same of DeSantis.

The survey was taken May 24-25, 2023, among 500 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters. It has a +/- 4.38 percent margin of error.

These results come on the heels of Scott exclusively telling Breitbart News that he “100 percent” does not believe the GOP primary is a two-man race.

“My case is simple,” Scott told Breitbart News. “I believe America can do for anyone what America did for me. The important thing is restoring hope and creating opportunities—and protecting America.”

“It’s never been more important to have a president who can persuade. It’s critical. We have to be able to go beyond our base in order to attract more people to the story of America if we’re going to win elections.,” Scott continued, noting that “we haven’t won a general election popular vote in a very long time. It’s time for us to get back to winning.”

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Tim Scott / YouTube