As President Trump departs Iowa as a winner and heads on to the next state, eyes are on the Republican caucuses in the early states and how each will define the race for the Republican nomination. Iowa was the end of Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential bid, and the remaining challengers, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, will have to make their mark or bow out.
In 2020, Trump was narrowly edged out by Biden in Georgia despite cries of foul from Republicans, and with the ongoing farce of a court case against the former president being held in that state, the country is watching closely to see what will happen there.
But as voters get serious, polls in Georgia are showing that the heart of the state is behind President Trump, not only among Republicans but with all voters.
The latest results in a poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show the Republican frontrunner beating the Democratic incumbent 45% to 37% in a head-to-head matchup if the general election were held today. Compounding Biden’s misery is the bleeding support he’s experiencing among minority voters.
Although Biden was announced to have won Georgia in 2020, his popularity is in the trash after his first term.
I forgot a camera on the border in Lukeville when I was live streaming. It was filming as hundreds of illegal aliens passed by it. I had to drive back around a mountain to get it. This is 2 hours of insane video in 4 minutes. At the end I was so stoked. @nephityler was there too. pic.twitter.com/mPJEknIKN1
— Just Jeff From Cali (@liberty_clarion) January 17, 2024
Sixty-two percent of voters disapprove of Biden’s job performance, with a slim majority saying they “strongly disapprove.” Among independents, who comprise nearly one in five voters, Biden is disliked as well; 37% support him, while 54% disapprove of his performance. Black voters, who make up 48% of newly registered voters in Georgia, are split.
The ongoing trial in Georgia as well as his disagreements with Governor Brian Kemp are not keeping Trump from being the popular choice among Republicans, although some are still holding out for Haley or DeSantis, who was second in Iowa. One in five Republican poll respondents said they don’t plan to vote for Trump in November, signaling that those Republicans still hold out hope for the runners-up.
The next caucus in New Hampshire could turn those heads, depending on the outcome. Following New Hampshire, primaries in Nevada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and South Carolina will determine Trump’s solid place in the race.
The failure of anti-Trump hopefuls like Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson is telling as Trump’s showing in the polls rises. The GOP is appearing to be behind Nikki Haley, but Haley will have to beat DeSantis in New Hampshire to remain viable.
The slow wave of establishment Republicans coming out to endorse Trump is picking up as voters show their support for him. Although Governor Kemp has not come out and endorsed Trump, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-GA) and a majority of the state’s GOP congressional delegation, including firebrand star Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), have already announced their endorsements of President Trump.
The governor has, however, committed to supporting Trump if he is the party’s nominee, apparently being cagey until the last moment.
After South Carolina’s primary, Michigan will wrap up the winter primaries, and Idaho and Missouri will lead off March with their primaries.
In New Hampshire, President Trump is looking good, with a commanding 16-point lead over Haley, according to the latest poll there. Trump has 50 percent of the support, with Haley following at 34 percent. DeSantis only shows 5 percent in that state, according to the latest Boston Globe/Suffolk University/NBC-10 Boston poll.
The poll shows consistency with results in a similar poll last week.
Trump and Haley are gearing up against each other, with Haley challenging Trump to seize on the debate state with her. Trump announced to crowds in New Hampshire on Tuesday that Haley was “not tough enough” and insufficiently conservative, Politico reports.
That is not news to voters, as Haley is seen as an entrenched RINO candidate of the establishment. The juxtaposition of Haley against Trump signifies for many the conservative vs. swamp establishment of the GOP, and it is not hard to see what will inspire voters about these two candidates.
Axios reported that ABC cancelled its planned primary debate today, following Haley’s statement that she would not debate unless Trump participated in the event. Trump has maintained that there is no reason for him to debate, as America knows what he stands for. Given his commanding lead in the polls, he sees no reason to spar with the runners-up as they vie for second place.
DeSantis, who has the lowest showing in New Hampshire, replied to Haley’s statement by saying she is “afraid to participate in the remaining debates.”
After his massive win in Iowa, Trump faces a true contest of his platform against the GOP establishment, Haley. As Haley worked for Trump as ambassador to the U.N., the two know each other, and the press as well as the votes in New Hampshire will certainly highlight the differences between the two.
If Trump defeats Haley by a wide margin in New Hampshire, voters in other states will surely take notice.