Poll: Trump Still Top Choice Among S.C. Voters

Observer Reports

Donald Trump remains the top choice of South Carolina Republican registered voters for the Republican Party presidential nomination among the narrowing field of contenders, according to the latest Winthrop University Poll.

With just over three months until the GOP Presidential Primary, the former president retains the majority of Republican support at 52 percent. Meanwhile, 17 percent of Republican voters in the state support Nikki Haley’s nomination, while 12 percent support Ron DeSantis.  

Other results from the survey of 1,655 registered voters in South Carolina:  

  • Approval Ratings: Joe Biden, 31 percent; Henry McMaster, 50 percent; Lindsey Graham, 36 percent; Tim Scott, 52 percent

  • Nikki Haley Favorability: 59 percent of all respondents, 71 percent of Republicans only  

  • Donald Trump Favorability: 45 percent of all respondents, 77 percent of Republicans only  

  • Sympathies lie more with the Israelis rather than with the Palestinians. 80 percent of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats sympathize more with the Israelis.  

  • A majority (64 percent) of respondents believe supporting Israel is in the US’s interest.  

  • A plurality (36 percent) of all respondents want to leave monuments and memorials to Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War just as they are. Black respondents most often prefer they be moved to a museum.  

  • Forty-one percent of all respondents see the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride rather than as a symbol of racial conflict.  

Respondents were reached via landline, cell phone, and online panel between November 4- 12. Results that use all respondents have a margin of error of approximately +/- 2.41% at the 95 percent confidence level.

Full results and methodology: https://www.winthrop.edu/winthroppoll/2023-november-winthroppoll-results.aspx.  

Greg Wilson