With the New Hampshire GOP primary field cut in half from six to just three, former President Donald Trump appears to be the clear benefactor of a thinning field, getting a majority 50% support in the latest University of New Hampshire poll released Sunday.
Trump leads Haley by 11 points among likely GOP primary voters, expanding the lead to double digits after it had narrowed before the Iowa caucus results last week. Trump now leads 50%-39% in the poll conducted for CNN, after earlier leading 39%-32%.
While CNN noted Haley gained 7 points of support, it was Trump who gained 11 points and widened his lead. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands at 6% support, which is shy of the 10 points needed to get any primary delegates in Tuesday's primary.
CNN noted New Hampshire was a rare state where Trump did not have majority support, giving an opening for a potential challenger.
Notably, Haley's 39% support is buoyed not by Republicans, but "undeclared" New Hampshire voters — where Haley holds 58% support.
Trump has been hammering that narrative in his campaign rallies this week, rebuking Gov. Chris Sununu for allowing non-Republicans in a semi-open primary in the state (Democrats were permitted to re-register as undeclared up to Oct. 7).
Sununu is a Haley surrogate, having endorsed her campaign after years of being anti-Trump.
Trump has an overwhelming majority of registered Republicans in the poll (67%).
Trump also has an edge in voter enthusiasm, as 88% of Trump supporters say they are locked in — a percentage that is 74% for Haley.
Despite New Hampshire's long-noted libertarian streak, Trump (56% positive) tops both Haley (36%) and DeSantis (28%) in favorability.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center polled 2,348 adults, 1,210 likely Republican primary voters, and 838 likely Democratic primary voters Jan. 16-19. The results in each poll respectively are plus or minus 2 percentage points, 2.8 percentage points, and 3.5 percentage points.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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