Nikki Haley Voters Show 'Jaw Dropping' Lack of Enthusiasm in Freezing Iowa

While the newly released Iowa Poll shows U.N. Ambassador surpassing Florida Governor in the , it indicated her success in the state would likely come down to voters' willingness to head to the polls amid bitter cold temperatures. A recent survey of Iowa Republican voters ahead of the party's caucus on Monday shows that Haley has overtaken DeSantis, moving into second place but still trailing former President by double digits, according to a , News and Mediacom Iowa Poll that was released on Saturday night.

The Iowa Poll shows 48 percent of likely Republican voters are planning to select Trump as their first choice for president. reached out via email on Saturday night to representatives of Haley for comment. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung sent a statement to on Saturday night, urging supporters of the former president's to show up on Monday.

"Our grassroots supporters have put us in position to win, and now we have to show up to Caucus for President Trump on Monday and get the job done," the statement reads. "We have to show up." Since the poll was last conducted in December 2023, support for Haley has jumped from 16 percent to 20 percent, making it her best showing of any Iowa Poll, according to the outlet.

Support for DeSantis has fallen three percentage points to 16 percent, contributing to his dip to third place, according to the . However, even as Haley moves up in the ranking, J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll, said her support appears to be on "shaky ground," according to the . After months of campaigning, the Republican presidential hopefuls will face voters for the first time at the Iowa caucus on Monday as blizzard conditions and sub zero temperatures Forecasts show record low temperatures are possible, with the National Weather Service warning that an "arctic cold" could cause temperatures to drop to negative 15 degrees in some parts of the state shortly before the caucuses begin at 7 p.m.

Selzer told the that the Iowa Poll shows Haley's supporters are unenthusiastic about their choice for president, which could mean they're less likely to venture out in the bitter cold and snow. About 49 percent of voters who plan to caucus for Haley say they are only "mildly enthusiastic" and 12 percent are "not that enthusiastic," the poll shows.

The noted that Haley is the only candidate included in the poll to see a spike in the proportion of her supporters who said they are only mildly or not that enthusiastic. "Her enthusiasm numbers, again, I just think are on the edge of jaw dropping," Selzer said. "That 61 percent are just mildly enthusiastic or not that enthusiastic — it just seems at odds with a candidate moving up." Roughly 9 percent said they are "extremely enthusiastic" to caucus for Haley, who also served as the governor of South Carolina.

Another 30 percent said they are "enthusiastic," according to the Iowa Poll. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground..