Trump Holds Wide Lead in National GOP Primary Poll, Haley Tied With DeSantis for Second

Former President Donald Trump is crushing the Republican presidential primary field, but Nikki Haley is on the rise as a Trump alternative, according to a new national poll.

Trump had 59% of support among GOP primary voters, a new Emerson College poll conducted Oct. 16-17 found. His support is unchanged compared to Emerson’s last presidential primary poll conducted in September. The rest of the primary field is polling in the single digits. 

Haley, the former South Carolina governor, saw her support grow by 5 percentage points over the last month, from 3% in Emerson’s September poll to 8% in the October survey. The rise comes after Haley was lauded for her performances in the first two presidential debates, and means she is tied with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place. 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was in third place in the GOP primary at 4%, while former Vice President Mike Pence and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy each had 3% of support. Ten percent of voters are undecided. 

As Haley gained support in the poll over the last month, DeSantis and Ramaswamy each lost 4 percentage points of support. DeSantis had 12% of support in Emerson’s September poll, compared to 8% in October, while Ramaswamy dropped from 7% to 3%. 

Beyond the GOP primary, voter concerns about immigration are on the rise across the political spectrum, the poll found. The number of voters who named immigration as the most important issue facing the United States has increased by 6 percentage points from 10% to 16% of the last month, led by voters in the northeast. The economy is still the top issue for voters at 35%, but dropped by 5 percentage points from September to October. 

The shift comes as Republican presidential primary candidates call for tighter restrictions at the northern border between the United States and Canada.

The poll also tested a general election match-up. Trump leads President Joe Biden 47% to 45%, with 8% of voters undecided. Biden’s support remained the same from September to October, while Trump’s increased by 2 percentage points. Emerson surveyed 1,578 registered voters via landlines and an online panel. The margin of error was +/- 2.4 percentage points.