Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump increased his lead over Nikki Haley to 19% with two days remaining until the state's primary, according to the latest Suffolk University/NBC10 Boston/Boston Globe tracking poll.
The survey results, released Sunday morning, had Trump at 55%, two percentage points higher than on Saturday. Haley remained at 36%. Ron DeSantis, a distant third, went down one percentage point to 6%. Less than 1% chose someone else, 2% were undecided and less than 1% refused to answer. The survey of 500 likely Republican primary voters was conducted from Jan. 19-20. The margin of error is 4.4%.
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Later Sunday, DeSantis announced he was suspending his Republican presidential campaign, ending his 2024 White House bid just before the New Hampshire primary while endorsing his bitter rival Trump.
The decision leaves Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Haley as the last major candidates remaining in the race ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. This is the scenario Trump’s foes in the GOP have long sought, raising the stakes for this week’s contest as the party’s last chance to stop the former president who has so far dominated the race.
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But as some Trump critics cheered, DeSantis nodded toward Trump’s primary dominance — and attacked Haley — in an exit video he posted on social media.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said in the straight-to-camera video, delivered in a cheerful tone.
He continued: “I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
Haley spoke at a campaigning stop in Seabrook, New Hampshire, just as DeSantis announced his decision.
“He ran a great race, he’s been a good governor, and we wish him well,” she told a room packed with supporters and media. “Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.“
DeSantis was physically worn after spending weeks on the campaign with little, if any, time off, even as he stormed across frigid Iowa and New Hampshire, often without a winter coat.
He ultimately decided that he needed to endorse Trump given his popularity in the party despite the deeply personal feud between them.
“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear," said DeSantis, who is in his second and final term as Florida’s governor, which ends in January 2027.
Trump had already shifted his focus to Haley in recent weeks, but minutes after DeSantis' announcement, the former president's campaign released a new memo highlighting the pressure on Haley to win New Hampshire.
“Now that we are a mere 48 hours from the primary, the tone has shifted mightily. We see it, you see it, but make no mistake, if Nikki Haley loses in New Hampshire — there are only two options,” wrote senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
“Option A: Nikki Haley drops out, unites behind President Trump, and commits to defeating Joe Biden," they wrote. “Option B: Nikki Haley prepares to be absolutely DEMOLISHED and EMBARRASSED in her home state of South Carolina," which votes on Feb. 24.
“Now, for some important advice," they continued. “Choose wisely.”
Trump himself addressed DeSantis' departure shortly after it was announced during a stop at Manchester campaign headquarters, according to a video shared by his staff.
“We just got some word that one of our opponents, very capable person, is dropping out of the race — Ron DeSantis. And Ron is dropping out and, in doing so, he endorsed us,” Trump said to cheers, before a “Trump!” chant broke out in the room of volunteers.
Asked if he would be using the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious”: “I said that name is officially retired,” he said to loud cheers.
At roughly the same time not far away, DeSantis' dejected supporters gathered privately in the Manchester restaurant where he had been scheduled to speak.
Rep. James Spillane, of Deerfield, said he had initially backed Trump, switched to DeSantis and will now vote for Trump.
“I had a suspicion this morning, and I had talked to some friends of mine saying the way I was hearing things shake out, I thought this was going to happen, and I was right," he said. "Unfortunately, DeSantis is not going to be able to make it forward. However, in the future, hopefully we can have a viable way forward in 2028.”
New tracking polls will be released every day leading up to the Jan. 23 primary. Check NBC10Boston.com each day at 5 a.m. to see the latest results.
Read the latest poll results below:
When asked for their second choice, 32% of those surveyed chose DeSantis, followed by Haley at 10% and Trump at 8%. Another 21% would choose someone else, 16% were undecided and 13% refused to answer the question.
Sunday's poll continued to illustrate that most of the New Hampshire voters who participated have already made up their minds about who they're voting for on Tuesday. Over 87% of those surveyed said they are either "not at all likely" or "not very likely" to change their minds.
When Haley voters were asked if their vote was more a vote for Haley or against Trump, 52% said it was a vote for Haley and 39% said it was a vote against Trump. These results have changed in recent days -- the split was fairly even Saturday, with 46% saying it was a vote against Trump and 47% saying it was a vote for Haley; a day earlier, 54% said their vote was against Trump while 42% said it was for Haley.
When the reverse was asked, 93% of Trump voters said their vote was a vote for Trump — an increase from 90% a day earlier — versus 5% who said it was really more of a vote against Haley.
Trump and Haley all have events planned in New Hampshire in the days leading up to the primary. Both Trump and Haley were also in the state on Friday.
Check our regularly updated New Hampshire Primary 2024 candidate tracker for the latest details.
