Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 GOP race, but his support would wane if former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley should join the primary battle, according to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Wednesday.
The Yahoo/YouGov poll, which chronicled the opinions of 1,585 U.S. adults from Feb. 2-6, shows that more Republican voters would side with DeSantis (45%) than Trump (41%) in a one-on-one matchup, if the Republican primary was held today.
However, in a hypothetical three-way matchup, Haley attracted 11% support from Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, compared to 38% for Trump and 35% for DeSantis.
In that vein, Haley would be a greater hindrance to DeSantis' base of potential voters than Trump's.
And in a nine-candidate field, Trump garnered 37% of total support, compared with 36% for DeSantis.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor, has already teased the release of a Feb. 15 announcement, in which she's expected to confirm her pursuit of the Republican National Committee's presidential nomination next year.
"Where will you stand?" asks the Haley video, obtained by Fox News Digital.
The teaser features U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick's famous speech to the Republican National Convention in 1984, in which the Reagan-era diplomat said San Francisco Democrats "always blame America first."
"The American people know better," said Kirkpatrick in the 1984 ad.
Earlier this week, Trump shared a photo on the Truth Social app, alleging that DeSantis drank alcohol with minors when he was a high school teacher.
But DeSantis was seemingly unfazed by Trump's post.
"I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden," DeSantis said during a press conference in Ocala, Fla. "That's how I spend my time. I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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