According to a new poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, Nikki Haley is no longer a long shot in the GOP primary race for South Carolina governor. Haley, who was mired in fourth place in the field in a March Rasmussen Reports survey, has jumped out to a double-digit lead. The State reports:
The poll of more than 900 voters was conducted Monday, immediately following last Friday's dual campaign events with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former first lady Jenny Sanford. The automated telephone poll reported a margin of error of 3 percent.According to Rasmussen Reports, 30 percent of the likely Republican primary voters surveyed favored Haley, eleven points better than state Attorney General Henry McMaster in second place with 19 percent. U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett was third at 17 percent, and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer had 12 percent. 18 percent of SC GOP primary voters remain undecided.
Scott Rasmussen says whether the Lexington state representative's lead holds over the next three weeks or not, the endorsement and appearance by Sarah Palin Friday in front of the SC statehouse had a positive impact on Haley's campaign:
Haley, who trails the other three Republicans in fundraising and has long been viewed as the underdog, already had the support of popular former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford. But on Friday she was endorsed by Palin at a widely-publicized statehouse rally. Primary turnout is always unpredictable, but the high-profile endorsement is undoubtedly good for Haley’s name recognition, especially among a conservative electorate with a strong Tea Party tinge.It won't take long to find out. SC Republicans will go to the polls June 8 to choose their nominee.
Haley, in fact, now has a slightly larger lead among conservative GOP voters than she has among Republican voters in general. Women voters are nearly twice as likely as male voters to still be undecided, and several political analysts say the “rock star sisterhood” of Palin and Sanford could be a big boost for Haley’s bid to be the state’s first woman governor.
It remains to be seen whether the Palin endorsement produces a lasting change in the race or if it simply provides Haley with a short-term bounce.
Update: Other candidates who received a nod from Gov. Palin are also doing well. In California, Carly Fiorina has pulled ahead of Tom Campbell in the latest PPIC poll. A new Rasmussen Reports survey shows Rand Paul with a 25-point lead over Democrat Jack Conway in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race, and another Rasmussen poll released this week shows Texas Governor Rick Perry has pushed his advantage over Bill White into double digits, up nine points from the more modest four-point lead the governor enjoyed just last month.
- JP
It would be nice if Palin could do just one more rally for Haley, two would even be better. It will be interesting to see what the polls have to say about Susanna Martinez in NM. I hear a new poll in CA shows Fiorina is now leading by a thin margin.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that Jenny Sanford endorsed Haley back in November 2009. Romeny endorsed Haley on March 16th. If Haley was going to get a big boost in the polls due to these 2 endorsements, you would have think that the boost would have shown up longer ago. No, the current boost in the polls is due to a combination of Haley herself, and Palin. I guess Mitt could make the argument that he is time a time released medication that kicks in after 60 days.
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