Former President Donald Trump has a large lead over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina and more so among military families, even after a controversy when Trump mocked Haley’s husband, according to a new poll.
According to a new Suffolk University/USA Today poll released on Tuesday, Trump leads Haley 63% to 35%, nearly a 2-1 ratio among voters likely to participate in the state’s Republican primary on Saturday.
Trump appears to be leading more so among military families, 65%-33%, even in the wake of recent comments in which the Republican front-runner noted that Haley’s husband has not appeared on the campaign trail with her.
“What happened to her husband? Where is he?” Trump said at a rally on Saturday in South Carolina. “He’s gone.” Michael Haley is an officer of the South Carolina Army National Guard who is deployed supporting the U.S. Africa Command.
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Haley teared up in an emotional moment as she spoke about her husband’s yearlong deployment during a speech on Tuesday afternoon. The former South Carolina governor was describing her husband’s deployment at an event in Greenville held four days before the Palmetto State’s crucial primary when she abruptly choked up.
“And that same vision called my husband to serve in the uniform of the United States. He’s a major in the South Carolina Army National Guard. As I prepare for what lies ahead, Michael is at the forefront of my mind,” Haley said before she paused, and the crowd cheered her on.
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South Carolina’s primary contest comes after Haley lost the Nevada Republican primary and Trump was able to get all of the state’s delegates. Haley finished 11 percentage points behind Trump in New Hampshire and more than 30 percentage points behind in Iowa.
The poll was taken this past Thursday through Sunday by landline and cellphone of 500 South Carolina voters who said they were “very likely” to vote in the state’s primary or who had already cast an early ballot. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. According to an average of primary polling in South Carolina, Trump leads Haley by 25.3%.
