On Politics

Mon Oct 30 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hi OnPolitics readers! Former President Donald Trump has long been the frontrunner in the 2024 race for the White House , but a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows that support for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has surged in Iowa, a crucial early voting state.

🗳️ The poll shows that 43% of likely Republican caucusgoers would pick Trump as their first choice for president, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Haley are tied for second place at 16%.

⬆️ "You just have (Haley) rising. You have DeSantis kind of holding on for second place," said pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the Iowa Poll. "But both of them are on ground that you could only describe as shaky compared to the solid ground that Donald Trump stands on."

Haley and DeSantis lead South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (7%), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (4%) and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (4%).

🥊 The poll comes as DeSantis and Haley have been battling on the campaign trail for the title of main alternative to Trump, making critical comments and competing appeals to potential donors and prominent endorsers, USA TODAY's David Jackson reports.