In a hypothetical 2024 matchup, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are neck and neck, with Trump beating him by just 1 percentage point, but other GOP competitors defeat the president by a larger margin.
While Trump bests Biden 47% to 46%, within the margin of error, in a CNN poll, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley leads him by 6 points, 49% to 43%, giving credence to recent reports touted by her campaign that Democrats and the Biden campaign view her as a concern.
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Haley fares better than her Republican competitors against Biden because of an advantage with white, college-educated voters. According to the poll, more than half of the voting demographic would opt for her in a matchup with the president. Other Republican candidates don’t surpass 48% with the group.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also best Biden, but within the survey’s margin of sampling error.
Vivek Ramaswamy is defeated by the president by 1 point, while Gov. Ron DeSantis ties Biden 47% to 47%.
Last month, Politico published a quote from an unnamed senior Democratic strategist, who it reported is close with the Biden campaign. “If they nominate Nikki Haley, we’re in trouble,” the strategist said. Haley capitalized on the anonymous quote, but it wasn’t given significant consideration by competitors, who didn’t adjust their strategies to attack the former South Carolina governor.
On Wednesday, the super PAC supporting Haley’s presidential bid, Stand for America Fund, released an ad on television in Iowa and New Hampshire. The 30-second spot claimed Democrats and Biden’s campaign fear a Haley nomination more than other Republican candidates.
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“The Biden administration knows that they would face an uphill battle against Nikki Haley as the Republican nominee for president,” said Mark Harris, the super PAC’s lead strategist. “Haley is unapologetic in her strong stance against China, her pro-life beliefs, and her denunciation of poor leadership from both Democrats and Republicans. Nikki Haley will bring the fierce determination and strength America needs now more than ever.”
Following her performance at last month’s Republican debate, Haley has seen a boost in her polling stature, particularly in New Hampshire, where one measure showed her tying DeSantis, who has long been in second place.
