Trump increases lead in Republican primary as battle for second place between DeSantis and Haley heats up

Donald Trump's lead among Republican voters continues to grow, according to the latest polls. However, the fight for second place is closer than ever, with Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley going back and forth. While Trafalgar Group puts the former South Carolina governor in the lead, Republicans participating in the Iowa Caucus polled by NBC prefer the Florida governor by a slim three-point margin.

Trump exceeds 50% support, per NBC

According to the NBC poll, conducted in conjunction with the Des Moines Register and Mediapoll, support for the former president among Iowa Republicans reaches 51%, setting a new high. Far behind is DeSantis (19%) and Haley (16%). Fourth place goes to Vivek Ramaswamy, who receives 5% support, with Chris Christie (4%) close behind. In addition, Asa Hutchinson was the pick for 1% of voters, and Ryan Binkley has less than 1%, although 4% of poll participants are actively considering casting their vote for him.

As for how GOP voters perceive the candidates, Trump leads with 72% of respondents viewing him favorably, compared to 66% for the Florida governor and 59% for the former U.S. ambassador to the UN. Ramaswamy (46%) in this section wins overwhelmingly over Christie, who is the candidate with the worst approval among Iowa voters (68% unfavorable perception).

Haley ahead of DeSantis, per Trafalgar Group

While Trafalgar Group agrees on the former president's strong lead (48.7%) to represent the Republican Party in 2024, second and third places are reversed. Haley would be the former president's main rival with 22.8% of the vote, while 14.4% of Republican voters prefer DeSantis. The battle for fourth place is decided by fractions of a point, with Ramaswamy (6.1%) edging out Christie (5.9%).