Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is leading President Joe Biden by 10 points in a new Marquette Law School poll.
With fewer than two months until the first presidential primary, this latest poll shows Haley leading Biden 55 percent to 45 percent.
The survey, which was conducted Nov. 2-7, shows Biden trails all three top Republican candidates, with former President Donald Trump leading Biden 52 percent to 48 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding a 51 percent to 49 percent advantage.
Not captured in the poll is the negative sentiment that befell Haley following her performance in the Nov. 8 Republican primary debate, where Haley issued a peculiar statement in response to a comment from GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswami.
While pitching himself as the only candidate on stage who would curb foreign aid, Ramaswamy asked the audience, “That’s the choice we face. Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels?”
He added, “We’ve got two of them on stage tonight,” referencing Haley and DeSantis, who was recently caught up in controversy over allegations he wears heels in his boots to increase his height.
Haley later responded that her shoes had 5-inch heels, adding, “And I don’t wear them unless you can run in them. I wear heels not for a fashion statement. They’re for ammunition.”
Social media users immediately ridiculed the statement:
Nikki Haley: “I wear five-inch heels as ammunition. They are actually small bombs, which we will drop on the Everglades.”
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 9, 2023
🚨BREAKING: Nikki Haley proposes $120 Billion in Heels to be sent immediately to Ukraine for ammunition. pic.twitter.com/KGPRnO0r7J
— U.S. Ministry of Truth (@USMiniTru) November 9, 2023
Haley has further alienated supporters with statements calling for people using social media to be verified by their name, saying anonymity is “a national security threat.”
The Marquette poll found that “a significant share of voters are initially reluctant to choose between Biden or Trump, saying they would vote for ‘someone else’ or wouldn’t vote.” The number of those voters was around 20-25 percent.
When asked about favorability, Haley is the only one of the four leading candidates who is viewed more favorably than unfavorably, with a net favorability rating of +7.
Trump is at -15, DeSantis is at -21, and Biden is at -19.
