As the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary on January 23, 2024, approaches, Donald Trump has expanded his lead over GOP rivals, according to a new poll released on Thursday.
What Happened: The American Research Group conducted a poll between Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, revealing that 37% of Republican voters in New Hampshire endorsed Trump for the presidency. This marks an increase from the 33% he polled in December 2023. The poll is based on 600 completed telephone interviews with likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley closely trails Trump, with 33% supporting her, up from 29% in December. Support for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has decreased since December, standing at 10%, 5%, and 4%, respectively.
Trump’s lead appears tenuous when considering the 9% of respondents who remain undecided. The proportion of undecided voters has decreased from 12% in December, suggesting that people are making up their minds as the election date approaches.
In terms of party affiliations, Trump has a solid lead of 42% among declared Republican voters compared to Haley’s 31%. However, undeclared voters, likely leaning toward the GOP, who make up 37% of the survey respondents, increasingly favor Haley. She has the support of 36% of undeclared voters compared to the 29% garnered by Trump.
Among younger voters below 50 years, Trump leads Haley by 41% to 30%, while respondents above 50 years favor Haley with 35%, compared to 34% for Trump.
Why It’s Important: New Hampshire holds the first primary, and winning here is crucial for a candidate aspiring to secure victory in the 2024 general election. A triumph in New Hampshire could provide a morale boost to Trump’s campaign amid ongoing legal challenges.
Haley faced criticism when she omitted slavery as one of the causes of the Civil War in a Town Hall appearance in the state. Although she later acknowledged the role of slavery in the war, the incident may have impacted her standing.
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden has chosen to skip the state’s Democratic primary, as New Hampshire deviated from the Democratic National Convention decision to have South Carolina go first. In 2020, Biden ranked fifth in New Hampshire.
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Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.