Nikki Haley surges into second place with 15 percent, ahead of Ron DeSantis, but Trump STILL dominates GOP race with 59 percent in new poll
- Haley was the subject of repeated attacks in the debate Wednesday night
- She has risen seven points in the Wall Street Journal poll since September
Nikki Haley drew the most criticism at Wednesday night's presidential debate, and a new poll reveals why: She has climbed to second place in a new poll that still has her far behind Donald Trump.
Haley, who was derided as “corrupt” by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as fellow candidate Chris Christie defended her intellect Wednesday night, trails the former president by more than 40 percentage points with the Iowa Caucuses just weeks away. He also called Ramaswamy a 'jack***.'
The former governor of South Carolina is at 15 percent in the latest Wall Street Journal poll, well behind Trump, who has a commanding lead at 59 percent and was expected to appear again in his fraud case in New York on Thursday.
Trump skipped the NewsNation debate in Tuscaloosa and instead held a fundraiser in Miami a night after appearing with Sean Hannity at a Fox News town hall, where he was asked about demanding retribution and critics who say he is a dictator would become. “Except for day one,” Trump replied.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is at 15 percent in a new Wall Street Journal poll, well behind Donald Trump, who is at 59 percent
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was ousted by Haley as Trump's number two candidate in the poll, is hot on her heels with 14 percent.
Haley's numbers are up 7 percentage points from September, when she was at 8 percent in the poll, with Trump holding steady and DeSantis rising from 13, which itself was a steep drop from where he was in the spring.
DeSantis, who has slammed Trump for skipping debates, also went after Haley on Wednesday night.
You've got a friend: New Jersey Governor Chris Christi defended Haley during Wednesday night's debate
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy held up a sign and called her 'corrupt'. Rivals went after Haley in the NewsNation debate, a sign of her rise
'Every time the left comes after her, she collapses. She will pander to the donors,” he said.
Haley was stunned and refused to respond to some of Ramaswamy's most vicious attacks.
“I love all the attention guys, thanks for that,” she joked.
No other candidates reached double figures, according to the Journal, which did not release detailed results.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to mock his rivals for participating in a “little league” match, even after being told by rivals that he lacked the courage to maintain his lead.