The poll, conducted by the American Promise and the Tyson Group, found that Trump had the support of 58% of likely voters in the South Carolina Republican primary, which will take place on Feb. 24. Haley, who served as the state’s governor from 2011 to 2017, trailed behind with 31% support. The remaining 11% were undecided.

Trump was ahead of Haley in every demographic and political group surveyed, except for self-identified Democrats, who favoured Haley by 49% to 5%. However, Democrats are unlikely to vote in the GOP primary, which is open to registered Republicans only.

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What poll says

The poll also revealed that the former president had a higher favorability rating than Haley among South Carolina voters. Nearly seven in 10 respondents (68%) said they had a favourable view of Trump, with 44% saying it was “strongly favourable.” Haley, on the other hand, had a favourable rating of 56%, with only 23% saying it was “strongly favourable.”

The top issues for South Carolina voters were the economy and immigration, according to the poll. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) said the economy was one of their top two issues, and half (50%) said the same of “fighting illegal immigration.”

The poll was the first major one to measure the sentiment of South Carolina voters since the New Hampshire primary, where Trump defeated Haley by 11 points. Haley also came in third in Iowa, behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Haley vs Trump

Haley faces a tough challenge to win her home state, where Trump has the endorsement of more than 150 current and former elected officials, including Gov. Henry McMaster and US Sens. Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham.

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Haley has argued that she does not need the backing of the “political elite,” and that her lack of support is due to her efforts to hold the South Carolina government “accountable.” Trump, however, has taunted Haley for her poor performance in her home state and brought his South Carolina supporters to his New Hampshire rallies to show his strength.

“Nikki loves to talk about cognitive impairment on the campaign trail, but she should take a hard look at herself and her life choices if she thinks she can be competitive in her home state of South Carolina in exactly one month. Name one state that Nikki can win. There isn’t one,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung has said.