Indian American presidential candidate Nikki Haley has emerged as the top alternative to Donald Trump among New Hampshire Republican voters even as the former President still holds a strong lead in the early nominating contest.
Haley gets the best marks on being seen as “likable” and “reasonable,” and she runs nearly even with Trump on being “prepared” — notable, considering he held the presidency, according to the latest CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday
READ: Trump not the right person to be president right now: Nikki Haley (December 14, 2023)
The first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet as US ambassador to UN under Trump has been running in part on electability and is now seen as the most electable of Trump’s challengers
Among likely Republican primary voters, 29% say they would vote for the former South Carolina governor, 15% behind Trump. About 11% say they would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and 10% say they would vote for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. No other candidate received more than 10%.
Regarding who can beat President Joe Biden, 51% of voters said Trump would “definitely” do so, while 32% said the same for Haley — underscoring just how strong of a hold the former president has on Republicans.
READ: Nikki Haley consolidating the ‘Never Trump’ vote: Politico (November 22, 2023)
The poll also gauged how New Hampshire Republican voters felt toward each candidate.
Haley is overwhelmingly seen as the most likable, receiving 55% of the vote. DeSantis falls in second, holding 37% of the vote, while Trump and Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are tied for third, holding 36% of the vote.
A majority of voters also said Haley is the most reasonable of the candidates. As many as 51% voted for her, while 37% said DeSantis was the most reasonable. Trump falls in third with 36%.
READ: Nikki Haley emerges second to Trump in New Hampshire poll (November 15, 2023)
Despite Haley’s likeability, Trump is seen as more prepared — but only by 1 point. The poll found that 54% say Trump seems the most prepared, while 53% named Haley. DeSantis was third, holding 44% of the vote.
However, almost 70% see Trump as a strong leader, while 45% say that of DeSantis with 41% saying they see Haley as a strong leader.
Haley has been given a boost by New Hampshire’s more moderate electorate relative to Iowa. She has made inroads among self-described moderates and independents, running close to Trump among them now.
READ: Fundamental ideological divide with Haley: Vivek Ramaswamy (November 14, 2023)
Independents can, and often do, vote in the GOP primary, CBS noted and it’s these groups who express more openness, in principle, to a candidate dissimilar to Trump, if he isn’t the nominee.
Asked to compare the candidates to the frontrunner, voters see Haley as the most different candidate from Trump in terms of personality. And about seven in 10 say that if the nominee is not Trump, they would prefer a candidate different than him in terms of personality.
The survey was conducted Dec 8-15 on a representative sample of 855 registered voters in New Hampshire. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 points.