Trump is now vastly more popular than Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina: poll

• A new poll shows Trump blowing out former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in South Carolina.
• If those numbers hold, Haley could lose by double digits in her home state.

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley’s popularity has taken a hit in her home state of South Carolina, a worrying sign ahead of a critical primary race against former President Donald Trump, a new poll reported.

According to a Washington Post-Monmouth University poll, Haley’s popularity has dropped 31 percentage points in just under five months. In comparison, Trump’s has risen eight points. Not surprisingly given those numbers, the latest Post-Monmouth poll released Thursday shows Trump with a 26-point lead among potential Republican primary voters.

The most recent poll fits with other recent surveys in the state. FiveThirtyEight’s weighted average show Trump with a roughly 31-point lead in South Carolina.

The September poll showed Haley had a net favorability (the number of voters who view her favorably minus the number who hold unfavorable views) of 35 points. Thursday’s survey showed that number had fallen to just 4. In comparison, Trump’s went up from 30 points to 38 points.

Haley has long been hoping that she could use her home turf advantage to deal a significant setback to Trump’s campaign, forcing a longer-term battle for delegates beyond even Super Tuesday. Instead, if the current margin holds, it’s difficult to see how her campaign will continue given what was already a narrow path to victory.

The decline in Haley’s approval makes sense given the intense attacks she’s sustained from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump as her campaign rose during the early GOP primary debates. Haley then claimed that her 11-point loss in New Hampshire was a strong enough performance to fight on, a decision that has certainly agitated Trump.

Still, Haley’s standing among South Carolina Republicans underlines Trump’s strength in the race. While she may be the state’s former governor, the former president has also secured the endorsements of almost the entire South Carolina congressional delegation.

Nationally, Haley has also faired better with more self-described moderate GOP voters, who don’t make up nearly as much of the electorate in South Carolina as they did in New Hampshire.