RealClearPolitics: Nikki Haley The New No. 2

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has overtaken Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in RealClearPolitics’ polling average for the 2024 GOP primary.

Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, now polls at 11% support, slightly ahead of DeSantis’ 10.9% support.

While this is a big accomplishment for Haley ahead of the Iowa caucuses, which are less than two weeks away, she still finds herself way behind her former boss Donald Trump in the same polling average, which stands at 62.7%, according to RealClearPolitics.

From the moment he announced his presidential candidacy not long after the 2022 midterm elections, Trump has enjoyed a huge lead in just about every poll. For a majority of that time, DeSantis polled as the next-best choice among likely Republican voters.

In recent months, though, Haley’s campaign has made huge strides to overtake DeSantis — giving her at least a puncher’s chance to make some noise in the upcoming primaries.

Haley initially started to make progress in polls following the first GOP primary debate in August, and she has made consistent strides after each of the next three debates as well.

The former South Carolina governor first crossed into the double digits in mid-November, reaching 10.4% in RealClearPolitics’ polling average. At that time, she trailed DeSantis by nearly three percentage points, as the Florida governor was polling at 14.1%.

In December, Haley cut that lead to less than a point, with DeSantis polling at 12.5% compared to Haley at 12.3%.

Haley’s rise in the polls has resulted in DeSantis’ campaigning waging a war of sorts with hers. The two “also-rans” have attacked each other on everything from the war between Israel and Hamas to transgender medical care for minors and potential ties to communist China.

Both Haley and DeSantis are hoping that they can shock the world and take the Iowa caucuses as a way to jumpstart a successful primary run. The two candidates have spent a lot of time and money campaigning in the state ahead of the caucuses, which are scheduled for Jan. 15.