On Politics

Wed Oct 4 2023

Hey there, OnPolitics readers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was once the dominant alternative to frontrunner Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary race.

That's no longer the case for New Hampshire voters, according to a new exclusive poll by USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk University.

🚀 Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley has surged ahead of DeSantis with likely voters in the first-in-the-nation primary.

Trump maintains lead: Former president Trump is still the frontrunner by 30 points, polling 49% to Haley's 19%. Meanwhile, DeSantis dropped to 10%. No other candidates reached double digits in the poll.

🤔 Why now? Haley has been boosted by strong performances in the two Republican debates so far, write USA TODAY's Susan Page, Sudiksha Kochi, Savannah Kuchar and Rachel Looker.

In the six months before the first debate in August, she had never scored above 6% in the 11 public polls taken in New Hampshire. The USA TODAY poll marks a new high.

What it could mean: More money, credibility and interviews for Haley, David Paleologos, director of Suffolk's Political Research Center, writes. A case could be made for others to drop out now and back Haley's challenge to former president Donald Trump.

•	Can Haley or any other candidate beat Trump in New Hampshire? Here are three scenarios.
•	Keep reading: What's top of mind for voters in the Granite State? Nearly 4 in 10 likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State say they still might change their minds, the USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk Poll finds, in a fluid race.