Trump holds wide lead in South Carolina as support rises: Survey

Former President Trump has a significant lead over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her home state, according to survey results released Thursday.

The Monmouth University-Washington Post poll found 58 percent percent of potential Republican primary voters in South Carolina are currently backing Trump for the nomination. This gives the former president a 26-point lead over Haley, who garnered 32 percent of support among respondents.

Trump and Haley both gained support since becoming the only two major candidates left in the Republican primary race. The former president is up 12 points from September 2023, while Haley increased her support by 14 points in the same time frame.

The poll suggests Haley, who also served under the Trump administration as ambassador to the United Nations, will need to make up a lot of ground if she wants to have a strong showing in the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary. Despite losses in Iowa and New Hampshire last month, she has vowed to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, March 5.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average in the Palmetto State shows Trump is leading Haley by more than 36 percent — 62 percent to 29.7 percent.

Trump’s legal woes are not an issue among potential GOP South Carolina primary voters, per the Monmouth University-Washington Post survey. Roughly 60 percent said the Republican Party should keep him on the ballot if he wins the nomination but is convicted of a crime connected to the 2020 election.

In addition, 62 percent said they would still vote for him in the general election if he was convicted, while 17 percent said they would vote for President Biden. Among current Trump supporters, 90 percent said they would still vote for him over Biden if he was convicted, according to survey results.

The poll was conducted Jan. 26-30 among 815 potential Republican primary voters in South Carolina and has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.