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As the New Hampshire Republican primary approaches, polls are placing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in third place far behind front-runner Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
A poll from CNN conducted by the University of New Hampshire places Mr Trump at 50 per cent in Tuesday’s primary, with Ms Haley in second place at 39 per cent. Meanwhile, Mr DeSantis is polling at just 6 per cent, according to the data released on Sunday.
This latest poll from CNN indicates a marked change from their previous poll taken ahead of the Iowa caucuses, showing Mr Trump at 39 per cent and Ms Haley much closer at 32 per cent. Mr DeSantis, however, was still trailing far behind at 5 per cent even in early January.
Earlier this week, a Suffolk University survey showed similar figures, with Mr Trump at 16 points over Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis at just 5 per cent. Both of these late-January polls now place Mr DeSantis under the 10 per cent of votes necessary to be eligible for delegates in the state, per New Hampshire Republican primary rules. New Hampshire’s primary results could come as a blow to the Florida governor, who is coming off a second-place win in the Iowa Republican caucuses.
These numbers come just hours after Mr DeSantis cancelled his Sunday morning media appearances and added a New Hampshire campaign event to his Sunday evening schedule. This has led to speculation that the end of his campaign could be near, while his press secretary says the cancellations were due to a “scheduling issue.”
“I don’t know if it’s today, tomorrow, next week or the following week, but obviously the man has run out of steam, out of options, out of money, out of a path,” Ana Navarro, senior political commentator for CNN, said on Saturday.
“It gives him a way of easing back because he’s got to come back to Florida and be governor,” she later continued.
Meanwhile, Jenna Ellis, a member of Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, said the suspension of Mr DeSantis’ campaign – which she has been supporting – “seems imminent.”
The Independent has contacted the DeSantis campaign for comment.
