Donald Trump’s crushing dominance among likely Republican voters shows no signs of abating, with a new poll from the early primary state of South Carolina revealing a massive lead for the former president.
Fifty-three percent of likely Republican primary voters in the new poll conducted by SSRS said Trump was their first choice for the party’s presidential nomination, putting him at least 30 points ahead of any other candidate. Nikki Haley, South Carolina’s former governor, and Tim Scott, a senator from the state, seemed to benefit little from their home-field advantage, with the former registering 22% support and the latter garnering 6%.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis polled in between Haley and Scott with 11% support. No other candidate garnered more than 2% support in the poll.
In another positive sign for Trump, the poll showed his supporters appear very firm in their backing for the ex-President. Eighty-two percent of Trump backers in the poll said they would “definitely” support him and won’t change their minds. Only 42% of Haley supporters and 38% of DeSantis supporters said the same about their preferred candidate.
Trump dominated among nearly all demographics in the poll, winning more support from some groups than others. Trump leads Haley by 50% among both likely voters without a college degree and voters under 45, while leading her by 54% among those making less than $50,000 per year. The two candidates are tied among college graduates, and Trump leads by 22% among voters older than 45. His lead is 17% among voters earning more than $50,000 per year.
South Carolina’s Republican primary is open to voters not registered as Republicans, and differences in level of support are seen based on party preference. Trump leads registered Republicans by 40%, while his lead among independents and those registered with other parties is only 4%. He leads by double digits among both self-described conservatives and moderates/liberals.
Fifty-three percent of respondents to the poll said the economy is their top issue in next year’s election, while 21% said immigration was most important to them. 8% picked voting rights as most important and 5% picked abortion.
Only 5% of respondents said foreign policy is their primary concern in next year’s election, but Nikki Haley has tried to sell her neoconservative foreign policy vision as a key differentiator between herself and the former president.
“As president, I will not compliment Hezbollah,” said Haley recently at the annual summit of the Republican Jewish Coalition, referring to comments Trump made calling the armed militant group “very smart.” “Nor will I criticize Israel’s prime minister in the middle of a tragedy in war,” she added. “We have no time for personal vendettas.”
As President Biden continues to advocate for millions of dollars of additional aid towards Israel amidst their military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the issue has shown signs of emerging as a concern among the broader electorate. Most respondents said they support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in a recent poll of US voters. Meanwhile, support for Biden has fallen to an all-time low of just 17 percent among Arab American voters.