Just under half of likely Iowa GOP caucusgoers who support former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley indicated that they would make a crossover to the Democratic party, saying that they would rather vote …

Just under half of likely Iowa GOP caucusgoers who support former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley indicated that they would make a crossover to the Democratic party, saying that they would rather vote for President Biden over former President Trump.

A new NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released just one day before the Iowa caucuses found that 43 percent of Haley backers in the state said they would vote for Biden if Trump is the GOP nominee, while 23 percent say they would vote for the former president. Eight percent said they would vote for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Overall, 71 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers said they would vote for Trump in 2024, while only 11 percent said they would vote for Biden.

“Haley is consolidating the anti-Trump vote,” J. Ann Selzer, a pollster who has conducted the Iowa survey over the last three decades, told NBC. “She does well with the people who define themselves as anti-Trump.”

  • paddirn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    14·
    10 months ago

    It’s not like Haley is middle-of-the-road compared to Trump, she’s potentially just as right-wing (if not more) as he is, so are Republicans voting for her just looking for any alternative to Trump? Are they potentially more center-spectrum, just because they’re willing to vote for a female candidate? It’s still early in the process though, I’m sure when we get into the main election, those attitudes could potentially change as it comes down to it.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      141·
      10 months ago

      Haley’s policies are far-right. She’s a threat in many ways. But she’s not a threat to Democracy. She would be a terrible President, but that’s still better than a horrible dictator.

    • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
      122·
      10 months ago

      Trump has shown that he is a threat to the republic. Haley, not so much, even if her policies are too far right. So it’s probably because they want someone to represent their views, but also recognize that Trump is an actual threat and don’t feel the same way about Haley. . .which would explain why so many of them would vote for Biden.

      • meep_launcher@lemm.ee
        72·
        10 months ago

        Yep. Haley’s platforms may be similar to Trump, but she is not against democratic institutions. It’s sad that the bar is now at “do they say they will be a dictator day 1”, but here we are.

        If Haley was president, we would still have to fight tooth and nail, but I would be decently confident we would still have the ability to vote her out in 4 years.

    • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
      9·
      10 months ago

      100%. Voters think Hailey is a “moderate” Republican because she’s a woman which feeds into their assumptions about women being more moderate in general. It’s nothing more complicated than that.

      This person would pardon an insurrectionist. Either she has drunk deep of the Kool-aid, or she’s as shameless and unprincipled as Trump, McCarthy and all the other GOP who will say literally anything for votes.