Former President Donald Trump leads former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Halley by 33% among likely voters in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, according to the inaugural Citadel Poll.
Created by the school's Department of Political Science, the poll was designed to provide insight into how South Carolinians feel about a variety of topics, including politics and population growth.
“Our mission to educate principled leaders is greatly served by this unique academic and community experience and we expect the entire Citadel community to benefit from our scholarly attempt to better understand the American voter,” said Brian Madison Jones, Ph.D., dean of The Citadel’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The poll surveyed 1,000 South Carolinian voters between Feb. 5 – 11, with the following results:
- Former President Donald Trump holds a considerable lead over former Governor Nikki Haley ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary.
- South Carolina voters currently favor leadership that prioritizes accomplishments where the outcome is likely certain, more than feeling calm and secure.
- Voters who have lived in South Carolina for more than five years are more likely to vote in-person on Election Day, rather than voting in-person early or by mail, than those who moved here in the last five years.
The school said that future polls will act as academic opportunities for Citadel cadets and students, allowing them to provide input into the questions and topics covered.
“The Poll allows us to directly contribute to the important conversations needed to sustain our great republic. I am particularly excited for the members of our faculty who are conducting the Poll analysis, Dr. Mark Owens and Dr. DuBose Kapeluck, who are great representatives of all Citadel faculty who apply their love of learning and intellectual inquiry to local and national service,” said Jones.
