Christie pulls ahead of DeSantis in New Hampshire GOP primary: poll

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has surpassed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the critical early presidential primary state of New Hampshire, according to an Emerson College survey released Tuesday. 

Christie leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in the Granite State, garnering 9 percent support. DeSantis’s support, on the other hand, fell to 8 percent from 17 percent in March. Christie’s 1-point lead over DeSantis falls within the poll’s plus-or-minus 3.4 percent margin of error. 

“DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates,” said Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling. 

Christie’s campaign has maintained an intense focus on New Hampshire, while DeSantis’s team has prioritized Iowa. However, DeSantis has still made a number of trips to the Granite State. 

Former President Trump still dominates the GOP primary field with 49 percent support, according to the same poll. 

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott trails DeSantis in fourth place at 6 percent support, while North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley tied at 4 percent. Businessmen Vivek Ramaswamy and Perry Johnson came in at 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Rep. Will Hurd (Texas) each received 1 percent support.

Thirteen percent of voters said they were undecided. 

The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Trump in first place at 54.5 percent support, while DeSantis is in second place at 14.8 percent. Ramaswamy is in third place at 6.3 percent. 

The Emerson College Poll was conducted August 9-11 among 837 registered voters in New Hampshire.