Trump up 39 points in key early primary state: poll

Former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in the battle for a pivotal primary state that could help him stave off the multitude of Republicans seeking to claim the party nomination.

Trump took 49.7% support among New Hampshire likely GOP primary voters in the latest Trafalgar poll. Florida  Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed second place with 10.7% while tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy came in a close third with 10.4%. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took 9.1%, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott took 7.8%, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley took 3.1%.

No other candidate cleared 3.0% in the race.

New Hampshire is the second state to hold a nominating contest in the Republican primary cycle, behind only Iowa, and it is typical for candidates to invest heavily in the state in order to score an early win.

Conducted between Aug. 14-16, the survey questioned 1,036 likely Republican primary voters and has a margin of error of +/- 2.9%. The survey period mostly follows Fulton County Attorney General Fani Willis bringing charges against Trump in her Georgia election probe. The grand jury handed up the indictment on Monday.

The survey is not the only one to show the former president leading his challengers. A Victory Insights survey conducted in the wake of the indictment found Trump claiming 61% support, leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 49%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.