Among independents, Nikki Haley crushes Biden.
Up by 19 points
Nikki Haley is the best placed Republican candidate to beat President Joe Biden in next year's election, according to a new DailyMail.com poll that shows her crushing him with independent voters.
The former South Carolina governor leads Biden by two points in a hypothetical match-up.
It is the latest sign of a candidate who has surged in the polls since her strong performance in the first Republican debate, when she took on her opponents over foreign policy, abortion and climate change.
Furthermore:
DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners poll of 1,000 likely voters shows how Haley is winning over independents and graduates, eating into Biden's general election support.
She beats Biden by 19 points among independent voters (45 percent to 26 percent), according to the poll.
The only other candidate who comes close to that sort of broad appeal is South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott who beats Biden by 16 points among that group.
In contrast, Trump, known for his polarizing behavior and policies, leads Biden by just two points with independents.
James Johnson, Co-Founder of JLP, said: 'Haley is trouncing Biden with independent voters – by a margin of almost twenty points, more than any other candidate.
'Though her performance against Biden is held back by relatively shallow support amongst her own Republican voters, she is still the best-performing candidate against Joe Biden. This may well shift come a real election – independents may shed away as she moves to a traditional Republican position, and Republican support is likely to grow should she become the nominee.
New York Times reporter praises Ron DeSantis’ debate performance.
Nicholas Nehamas wrote:
At a time when his standing in the polls has slid — and Republican donors have talked about finding another candidate to stop Donald J. Trump from cruising to the nomination — Gov. Ron DeSantis acted like the former president’s leading challenger at the second Republican presidential debate.
Standing center stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Wednesday night, he deployed a newly assertive tone against the absent Mr. Trump, using criticisms he has been honing in recent weeks at the urging of his allies. He drew attacks from rivals who did show up, but none seemed to land a killer blow. And despite not saying a word until 15 minutes in, he ultimately imposed himself on the proceedings, speaking more than any other candidate.
“Donald Trump is missing in action,” Mr. DeSantis said during his first remarks of the debate. “He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt.”