Your polls will blow Don’s mind
Donald Trump will take this personally.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Most likely Republican Iowa caucusgoers say they’ll vote for former President Donald Trump in the general election if he’s the GOP nominee, regardless of the candidate they’re supporting on caucus night.
That is, except supporters of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, with nearly half of them — 43% — saying they’d vote for Democratic President Joe Biden over Trump.
These new findings from the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of Iowa further illustrate the degree to which Haley is bringing in support from independents, Democrats and Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump’s takeover of the GOP. Fully half of her Iowa caucus supporters are independents or crossover Democrats, according to the survey results. Overall, Haley took 20% for second place in the survey, compared to 48% for Trump.
The poll also shows three-quarters of caucusgoers believing Trump can defeat Biden despite the former president’s legal challenges. But again, a majority of Haley’s supporters think it will be nearly impossible for Trump to win.
Other Republicans: “dangerous”
Chelsea Cheney, 37, of Linn County told pollsters she used to be a Republican but now wants to caucus “for the least of the worst.” That’s Nikki Haley, she says. “I don’t necessarily love her, but I don’t find her dangerous in ways that I find many of the other candidates dangerous.”
“Haley is consolidating the anti-Trump vote,” pollster J. Ann Selzer tells NBC. She has conducted polls in Iowa over three decades. The anti-Trumpers may not be enough to make Iowa close for Haley, but in New Hampshire where independents are a larger share of the mix, they might.
Oh, Donny, you’re not fine. You look like a staggering derelict in a found overcoat.
Mr. Low-Energy is ready for his close-up.