Trump holds 30-point lead in New Hampshire poll; Haley surpasses DeSantis

Former President Trump is leading former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley by 30 points in New Hampshire, according to a poll released Wednesday. 

Polling from Suffolk University, The Boston Globe and USA Today showed Trump receiving 49 percent support among 500 likely Republican presidential primary voters in New Hampshire, with Haley next at 19 percent. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received 10 percent, while all other contenders were in the single digits.

While Trump maintains a wide lead and support from almost half of GOP voters, Haley surpassing DeSantis comes as non-Trump candidates look to galvanize the other half of the electorate.

A CBS News poll last week had Trump at 50 percent in New Hampshire, with DeSantis at 13 percent and Haley at 11 percent.

There’s increasing pressure to whittle down the GOP primary field ahead of the third Republican debate in Milwaukee. No candidate has been able to crack Trump’s wide lead in national and local polling, with some Republicans becoming resigned to the idea that the former president will win the Republican nomination next year.

The polling showed that close to half — 48 percent — say they believe Trump’s win is inevitable, while another 44 percent say some other candidate could win and 8 percent say they’re undecided. 

Trump has targeted Haley following her second strong debate performance, calling her “birdbrain.” The Trump campaign also left a birdcage and bird feed outside of Haley’s hotel room.

Republicans largely see Iowa as a critical state for other candidates to blunt Trump’s momentum in the battle for the GOP nomination.

The CBS News poll last week showed Trump with 51 percent in Iowa, with DeSantis at 21 percent and no other candidates polling above 10 percent.

The polling from Suffolk University, The Boston Globe and USA Today was conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 2 with 500 likely Republican presidential primary voters surveyed. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.