Trump maintains lead, Haley snags second in final poll before Iowa caucuses

Former President Trump, the current frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary, maintained his lead in the final Iowa poll before Monday’s GOP caucuses. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley snagged the second spot, slightly overtaking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who heavily centered his campaigning on the Hawkeye State.

The former president solidified his status as a favorite in Iowa by holding a nearly 30 point lead in the final NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll released Saturday. Trump has the backing of the most committed caucusgoers, an important factor considering that Iowa is dealing with freezing temperatures and blizzards that could affect turnout on Monday.

According to the poll, Trump amassed first choice support from 48 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers, holding a 28 point lead over Haley, who slightly narrowed the gap from the last time the same poll was conducted. DeSantis came at 16 percent while Ramaswamy, whom Trump seemed to turn days before the opening contest, is at 8 percent.

Trump’s lead is barely lower than the poll in December where he had a 32 point cushion. “He is still in a commanding position, but there is slippage,” J. Ann Selzer, the Iowa pollster who conducted the survey, said about Trump. “The game appears to be for second place, without a real challenger on the horizon.” Haley’s second place in the poll represents a 4 point jump after garnering 16 of support in December.

The former South Carolina governor has seen a surge nationally, particularly in New Hampshire, the state that is second on the GOP election schedule. Haley performed well with independents and those with college diplomas, according to the poll. Thirty three percent of independents picked her as their nominee.

DeSantis, whose standing slipped by three points since the December poll, did best with evangelicals with 22 percent picking him as their nominee. Ehtuasiam of Trump supporters is also dominant, with around 49 percent saying they are “extremely enthusiastic” about Trump. A significant gap compared to DeSantis and Haley, his biggest competitors in the state.

Twenty three percent of DeSantis backers are extremely enthusiastic about the Florida governor, while nine percent of Haley backers showed the same vigor. The poll of 705 likely Republican caucusgoers was done between Jan. 7 and 12. Overall, it has a margin of error of plus minus 3.7 percent..