Nikki Haley, Trump tied in New Hampshire poll

Ahead of a make-or-break primary battle in New Hampshire, Indian American Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley received some good news. She and former President Donald Trump, Iowa’s runaway victor, are tied in the Granite State, according to a new poll.

The survey from American Research Group Inc., released Tuesday, puts Trump and Haley, who finished a disappointing third in Iowa caucuses, at 40% each among the state’s likely Republican primary voters.

Back in December, Trump was at 33%, while Haley scored 29%. Both candidates had gained support by the start of January, when the poll had Trump at 37% and Haley at 33%.

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who beat out Haley for second place in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses Monday, garnered just 4% support among New Hampshire Republicans in the latest poll.

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In Iowa, Trump was the clear winner with 51% of the vote, according to election data from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ. The former president was followed by DeSantis with 21% support and Haley with 19%.

But Haley is arguing New Hampshire, which hosts its primary Jan 23, is a one-on-one matchup between her and the former president. She’s been gaining on Trump in recent Granite State polling and boasts the endorsement of Gov Chris Sununu (R-NH).

According to polling averages from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill in New Hampshire, Trump leads Haley 43% to 34%.

Observers cited by the Hill say Haley, who previously served as US ambassador to the UN under Trump, has a chance of a strong performance in the state. But some predict that if Trump wins both Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s a near-impossible path for one of his rivals to snag the nomination down the line.

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The American Research Group Inc poll was conducted with 600 likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire — including both Republicans and undeclared voters — from Jan. 12 to 15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Meanwhile, CNN and ABC News have both canceled their scheduled debates with presidential candidates after Haley refused to join the debate without Trump, who has skipped all previous debates.

A CNN spokesperson said Wednesday that the network is canceling the debate scheduled for Sunday “as only one qualifying candidate accepted our invitation to take the stage.”

The change comes a day after ABC News canceled its Thursday debate after Haley said she would step foot on the debate stage again only if Donald Trump or President Joe Biden was there.

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Trump has skipped every Republican primary debate since the race began, though the former president said last month he would debate one of his Republican primary rivals if the race is “very close” after the New Hampshire primary.

DeSantis was the only qualifying candidate to accept an invitation to the CNN debate. The DeSantis campaign said Tuesday that Haley “is afraid to debate because she doesn’t want to answer the tough questions” and accused her of running to be Trump’s vice president.

In lieu of a debate, CNN will host a town hall with Haley on Thursday at 9 pm EST in New Hampshire. DeSantis attended a town hall with the network earlier in the week.

After placing third in the Iowa caucuses, Haley has contended that the Republican presidential primary is now a “two-person race” between her and Trump.

“That’s who I’m running against. That’s who I want,” Haley said on CNN Tuesday, referring to Trump. “At the end of the day, he’s the frontrunner. He’s the one I’m 7 points away from, he’s the one we’re fighting for. There is no one else I need to debate.”