Trump holds commanding lead in key primary state

Former President Donald Trump appears to stand well ahead of his Republican rivals in a key primary battleground.

The former president took 43% support among likely primary voters in South Carolina, according to a National Public Affairs poll on which Politico first reported.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not announced his candidacy, claimed 21% support, following by former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who received 19%.

No other candidate or would-be candidate received double digit support. South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott, who has announced the formation of a committee to explore his candidacy, took 7%.

Apart from Trump and Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy have announced their campaigns. Both received 1% support.

Trump's lead over his rivals in the Palmetto State may indicate danger for Scott and Haley, both of whom would be hard pressed to stay in the race should they fail to win their home state.

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