Former President Donald Trump has a whopping 71-point lead over fellow Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in Texas, a sign of the Republican presidential candidate’s increasing momentum as the two duke it out ahead of the South Carolina primary.
According to the University of Texas poll, Trump has 80 percent support among Republican primary voters in Texas, while Haley has just 9 percent. Trump maintains his massive lead in the state’s primaries in every category, including gender, age, education and location.
His lead in the Lone Star State comes ahead of the March 5 Texas primary, known as Super Tuesday, when millions of voters in 16 states head to the polls to cast their ballots in the Republican presidential primaries.
Haley has pledged to stay in the race through Super Tuesday even as he faces an increasingly insurmountable primary challenge against the former president.
She has her sights set on Texas, which has an open primary, meaning any voter can cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation. Haley could potentially gain support from independent and Democratic voters, even Trump is keeping an eye on Republicans.
Nikki Haley campaigns in San Antonio, Texas on February 16. The state will hold its primaries on Super Tuesday, March 5, along with 15 other states
Former President Trump at a campaign event in Michigan on February 17. The state will hold its primaries on February 27, just days after South Carolina voters go to the polls
Haley campaigned through Texas last week with stops in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, where she held rallies and several fundraisers to tap the deep pockets of Texas donors.
During her campaign, she has criticized the former president, arguing that he is responsible for a series of Republican losses since taking office. She warned that chaos will follow Trump and that the country cannot survive another four years.
She has also argued that she is the better candidate to take on President Biden in the general election, but the new polls in Texas paint a different picture.
A University of Texas poll showed Trump would beat Biden 48 to 41 percent in the Lone Star State. However, if the race were between Biden and Haley, Biden would win Texas by nine points.
Before Trump and Haley even get to Super Tuesday, they will face off on Saturday in Haley’s home state of South Carolina, where recent polls have shown Trump with a double-digit lead over the former governor.
Haley during a campaign stop in South Carolina on February 18. She trailed Trump by double digits in recent polls in South Carolina, despite serving as the state’s governor from 2011 to 2017.
Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate following a court order that he pay more than $350 million in a civil fraud case. Haley has targeted the former president over his many legal battles
As the race kicks into high gear in South Carolina, the bouts between Republican presidential hopefuls have gotten even uglier.
This weekend, Haley appeared on TV where she criticized Trump for his recent comments about Russia and Putin, saying on ABC’s This Week that Trump “sided with a man who is killing his political opponents, he sided with a criminal who arrests and detains journalists. hostage.’
Haley also criticized Trump for his ongoing legal battle after the former president was ordered Friday to pay nearly $355 million in his civil fraud case. The president’s legal team has vowed to appeal the decision. Trump also faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases.
Haley warned that Trump will spend more time in court this year than during his campaign. The Trump campaign responded to her attacks by accusing Haley of being weak on immigration, loving China and warning she will raise taxes.
From South Carolina, the race heads to Michigan, where both parties will hold presidential primaries on March 27. It is the last early contest before large parts of the country can vote on Super Tuesday.