South-Carolina
Trump leads Nikki Haley by 27% in first South Carolina poll since NH primary
Former President Donald Trump is on course for another double-digit win over 2024 rival Nikki Haley — this time in her home state of South Carolina, according to a new poll.
Trump, 77, enjoys 58% support among likely voters in the Feb. 24 Palmetto State GOP primary, per the survey by the American Promise and the Tyson Group.
Haley, 52, had 31% backing while 11% said they were unsure about whom to support.
Trump led Haley among all political and age groups sampled — except for self-declared Democrats, 49% of whom said they supported Haley and just 5% of whom said they backed the former president.
More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) said they held favorable views of Trump, with 44% saying those views were “strongly favorable.”
By contrast, only 56% said they had favorable opinions of Haley, with just 23% saying their views of her were “strongly favorable.”
The economy and immigration were far and away the top issues for South Carolina voters, with 66% saying the former was one of their top two issues and half saying the same of “fighting illegal immigration.”
Haley enters the South Carolina contest off a third-place finish in Iowa, behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and an 11 percentage-point loss to the 45th president in New Hampshire.
Friday’s poll was the first major survey of the first-in-the-South primary released since the New Hampshire result.
Haley faces an uphill battle to win her home state, where more than 150 current and former elected officials have endorsed Trump — including Gov. Henry McMaster and US Sens. Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham.
Haley has maintained she doesn’t need the support of the “political elite,” and that her lack of support stems from her previous actions to keep the South Carolina government “accountable.”
Meanwhile, Trump has boasted about his support on Haley’s home turf and invited his South Carolina endorsers to appear with him at his New Hampshire rallies to send a message to his rival.
“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.
Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Post.
The online poll surveyed 543 likely Republican primary voters Jan. 24-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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