Nikki Haley doubles slumping Ron DeSantis in South Carolina poll

A new poll from the Palmetto State finds Florida’s Governor in a distant third place in the pivotal early Primary state.

A CNN survey of 738 likely Republican voters conducted from Oct. 18 through Oct. 25 shows Ron DeSantis with just 11% support, far behind former President Donald Trump (53%) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (22%).

While the good news is that other candidates are in single digits — including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (6%), Chris Christie (2%), and Vivek Ramaswamy (1%) — this survey is the latest to show that the DeSantis campaign is stumbling in a state framed as pivotal to his presidential hopes.

More than 3 in 5 respondents say they are definite about their choices, meaning that to the best of their knowledge, these voters are locked in on candidates months before Palmetto State Republicans cast ballots.

DeSantis is seen as the top second choice by 24% of respondents, a number perhaps padded by 8 of 9 not seeing him as the first option. Still, that’s tops in this field when it comes to being the backup.

DeSantis has said he’s a “great candidate” for South Carolina and has suggested that despite still being Governor of a different state, he may sign a sublease in South Carolina to make the sale to the state’s Republicans. This poll is the latest to suggest that he may not want to rush to consult a real estate agent in the Palmetto State, though.

The Race to the White House polling average shows DeSantis in third place with 13%, trailing Trump (48%) and Haley (17%), but ahead of Scott (8%).