A new Emerson College poll of the Republican presidential race in New Hampshire suggests Ron DeSantis will continue to struggle mightily even amid the recent shrinkage of the field.
The Governor is at 7% in the survey of 751 Primary voters, which was conducted Jan. 8-10.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump leads with 44% support, followed by Nikki Haley with 28%. Chris Christie received 12% before leaving the race, and Vivek Ramaswamy has 4% support.
Where do the Christie voters go?
It’s not likely they help DeSantis, and it appears they will help Haley close the gap with Trump ahead of the Jan. 23 Primary.
“Among the 12% of Chris Christie’s supporters, 52% name Nikki Haley as their second choice, 12% Asa Hutchinson, 10% DeSantis and 2% Trump; 16% are undecided.”
On a hot microphone ahead of his withdrawal from the race Wednesday, Christie said Haley was going to get “smoked” and said DeSantis called him up “petrified.”
During a CNN interview after his Iowa debate with Haley, the Governor addressed Christie’s comments, suggesting he wasn’t as shaken up as claimed.
“I’ve been to Fallujah and Ramadi. I mean, this is nothing. I did call (Chris Christie), just because I felt he was being treated poorly,” DeSantis said, before saying Haley “is becoming a darling of the people who are more than ever Trump.”
He claimed that Haley’s unwillingness to confront Trump is part of the reason he continued running despite having scant support outside of New Hampshire.
“And yet, she won’t answer the question about whether she would accept the VP nod. And she gives all these mealy-mouthed responses. What’s wrong with just saying it? ‘No, I would not under any circumstances.’ Say that. And I think the fact that she has not done that is part of the reason Chris had been staying in. And I think that’s part of the reason I think he’s had those choice words.”
The Emerson survey is the latest to find DeSantis in single digits.
A Suffolk University survey released Tuesday found DeSantis at 8%, good for fourth place at the time.
The Suffolk survey is more positive for DeSantis than the University of New Hampshire poll also released on Tuesday. That survey had him in fifth place with 5% support.
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