Supporters of former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley are far more likely to vote for President Biden in November than former President Trump, according to an Emerson College poll released Thursday.
The survey found that 63 percent of Haley supporters back Biden after the former South Carolina governor dropped out of the GOP primary Wednesday. Just 27 percent said they would vote for Trump, with 10 percent undecided, according to the poll.
Biden sought to welcome Haley supporters to his camp after she dropped out of the race, while Trump doubled down on criticisms of his former United Nations ambassador.
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a campaign statement.
In her suspension speech, Haley said Trump has to “earn” the votes of her supporters and did not endorse him.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that,” she said. “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing.”
In the Emerson survey, 52 percent of the Haley supporters voted for Biden in 2020, according to the poll.
The poll found Trump and Biden tied nationally, with 45 percent support each. When undecided voters were forced to pick a side, Biden takes a 51 percent to 49 percent lead.
With third party candidates included, most notably independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump took a 1-point edge over the president.
“This race is well within the poll’s margin of error and could move in either direction,” Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said in a statement. “When undecided voters are pushed in the head-to-head matchup, Biden gains a two-point lead; however, when third-party candidates are factored in, Trump has nearly a two-point edge.”
The poll also found that the economy is the most important issue for 29 percent of voters, followed by immigration at 20 percent and threats to democracy at 14 percent.
Biden has a 41 percent job approval rating, with 48 percent of respondents disapproving, according to the poll.
The Emerson poll surveyed 1,350 registered voters nationally March 5-6, with a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
