Niki Haley could upset Donald Trump in New Hampshire unless former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie decides to act as a spoiler, according to The Granite State Poll sponsored by the University of New Hampshire and CNN released this morning.
Trump leads Haley by just seven points, 39%-32%, with Christie in third place with 12%.
“Haley would likely move even closer to Trump if former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were to withdraw, as two-thirds of Christie’s supporters select Haley as their second choice,” the pollster said.
The poll will likely increase pressure on Christie, who has gambled his entire 2024 presidential campaign on the January 23 New Hampshire primary, to drop out of the race.
Vivek Ramaswamy trails with 8%, followed by Ron DeSantis (5%) and Asa Hutchinson (0%).
Most of Christie’s support comes from unaffiliated voters who can vote in one of the presidential primaries under New Hampshire law; 56% of the unaffiliated voters who plan to vote in the primary say they’ll participate in the GOP contest. Haley leads that group of voters, 43%-23% against Christie, with Trump at 17%.
Christie is the least-liked candidate in the field among Republicans, with an upside-down approval rating of 20%-60%. Trump is at 47%-38%, and Haley is at 39%-35%. DeSantis (29%-41%) is also underwater in New Hampshire.
The Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center between January 4-8 with a sample size of 919 likely Republican primary voters and a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.