Poll: Donald Trump Crushes Nikki Haley in Republican Primary Race

Former President Donald Trump is crushing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican primary race, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey found.

The survey asked 679 voters who say they are likely to participate in their state’s Republican primary election whom they support in the race.

Trump has an overwhelming lead, as a majority, 56 percent, choose the former president as the candidate they support. Haley falls 33 points behind, with 23 percent support among these likely GOP voters. Another 11 percent said “some other candidate,” and 10 percent remain unsure.

Trump holds the lead among self-described Republicans and independents, garnering 77 percent and 48 percent support, respectively. Only 16 percent of Republicans support Haley, and 32 percent of self-described independents support her as well.

More via Rasmussen Reports:

Among likely GOP primary voters, Trump is favored by 58% whites, 43% of black voters and 58% of other minorities. Among those who identify as conservative, Trump leads by more than 60 points, with 75% to Haley’s 14%. Haley leads among liberals, while Trump and Haley are essentially tied among moderate voters.

Further, Rasmussen Reports also observed that states with open primaries could benefit Haley — something her campaign has also openly expressed:

In states with open primaries – allowing voters to choose which primary they vote in without regard for their party registration – crossover voting could help boost Haley. Self-identified Republicans favor Trump by a 77% to 16% margin over Haley, but among Democrats who say they would vote in the GOP primary, Trump’s lead is only 32% to Haley’s 24%, with 21% saying they’d vote for some other candidate and 23% not sure. Among voters not affiliated with either major party who say they would vote in the Republican primary, Trump leads by 16 points, with 58% to Haley’s 42%.

The survey was taken January 28-30 and has a +/- 3 percent margin of error and follows a memo released by her campaign hours ahead of the New Hampshire primary results; it projected a path forward, as it seemingly anticipated a loss ahead of time. This path forward included strong performances in open primary states, relying on non-conservative voters.

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As Breitbart News reported:

The memo lays out what it apparently views as Haley’s path to victory, including a strong performance in South Carolina, which has no party registration. Then the campaign moves on to Michigan, the memo states, which has an open primary.

The memo adds that 11 of the 16 Super Tuesday states have open or “semi-open” primaries. In other words, the campaign believes there is “significant fertile ground” for Haley on Super Tuesday, attracting non-conservative voters.

…

In other words, regardless of the outcome of New Hampshire’s primary, Haley intends to roll along, relying on moderates and independents — not the conservative base — to help her take down Trump.

The Rasmussen Reports survey coincides with a Washington Post-Monmouth University survey showing Trump with a 26-point lead in Haley’s home state of South Carolina.