Nikki Haley closes to within four percentage points of Trump in surprise New Hampshire poll

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is edging within four percentage points of longtime Republican front-runner former President Donald Trump in a new New Hampshire poll. 

Haley, who served in the Trump administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was supported by 29% of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, according to a recent poll by American Research Group conducted by telephone, Dec. 14-20. The poll showed that 33% of likely New Hampshire Republican voters said they would support Trump.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ranked third among likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, garnering 13% support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had just 6% support. Vivek Ramaswamy received 5% support, while 1% of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters responded that they would support former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. 

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Former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley in New Hampshire.  (AP)

The poll showed that 12% of respondents said they were undecided ahead of the primary. Just 1% said they would support a candidate other than those mainstream GOP contenders. 

The poll was conducted through 600 completed telephone interviews among a random sample of likely Republican primary voters living in New Hampshire. The sample size included 361 Republicans and 239 undeclared voters or independents, American Research Group said. 

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Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks during a town hall event in Agency, Iowa, on Tuesday. (CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

When looking at party affiliation, 39% of registered New Hampshire Republicans interviewed said they would support Trump ahead of the primary, while 27% of registered GOP voters said they’d support Haley. Trump received 24% among undeclared voters interviewed in the poll, compared to 33% of undeclared voters interviewed saying they would support Haley. 

With less than a month to go before voting begins in the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, Haley is mainly competing against DeSantis as the best Trump alternative for Republican voters. 

She has received a recent surge in polling in New Hampshire, which has its primary contest set for Jan. 23. Earlier this month, Haley received the coveted endorsement of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. Meanwhile, the DeSantis campaign has focused heavily on Iowa, where Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed him in November. 

GOP presidential hopeful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets guests after speaking during the Scott County Fireside Chat in Bettendorf, Iowa, on Monday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Nationwide, a Fox News Poll released Sunday showed Trump widening his commanding lead over his GOP rivals, receiving the support of 69% of Republican primary voters. DeSantis and Haley trailed with 12% and 9% support, respectively.