News: CBS News poll: Haley gaining on Trump's lead in New Hampshire

Sunday, December 17, 2023

CBS News poll: Haley gaining on Trump's lead in New Hampshire

Dec. 17, 2023

Former President Donald Trump is still leading in New Hampshire, but Nikki Haley is emerging as a top alternative to him, a CBS News poll has found. Among the top candidates, Haley gets the best marks on being seen as "likable" and "reasonable," and she runs nearly even with Trump on being "prepared" -- notable, considering he held the presidency. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who trailed Trump, Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire in the poll, told Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" that he "absolutely" still sees a path to victory for himself in the first-in-the-nation primary state. Watch Brennan's full interview with Christie here and watch Anthony Salvanto's analysis here. Plus, watch this week's full episode of "Face the Nation" here.

CBS News poll: Haley gains on Trump in New Hampshire while he continues to dominate in Iowa

Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Receives Endorsement From New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu In Manchester

Donald Trump still leads in New Hampshire, but Nikki Haley has consolidated much of the non-Trump vote and has emerged as the top alternative to him there. Among the top candidates, Haley gets the best marks on being seen as "likable" and "reasonable," and she runs nearly even with Trump on being "prepared" -- notable, considering he held the presidency. She has been running in part on electability and is now seen as the most electable of Trump's challengers.

Meanwhile, Trump has consolidated his already commanding lead in Iowa, where likely caucus-goers overwhelmingly see him as a "strong leader," where his backers say he "represents Iowa values," and where he is boosted by an electorate in which nearly half say they are part of the MAGA movement.

Dive deeper into the CBS News poll here, and watch Anthony Salvanto for more on "Face the Nation" here.

Rep. Tony Gonzales on potential border deal passing the House: "Have to sweeten the deal"

Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican whose district includes over 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, said Sunday it's going to be a "battle" getting any deal involving Ukraine aid and border security funding through the House.

A bipartisan group of senators has been negotiating a landmark deal to limit asylum and expand detention and deportation efforts. This border agreement would be paired with aid for Ukraine and Israel.

Gonzales said "it's a good start," but "the devil's in the details."

"The Senate is much different than the House. The Senate is going to have its battle getting to 60 votes. The House is going to have its battle getting to 218," Gonzales told "Face the Nation." "We can do that. But we have to sweeten the deal."

Read more from Caitlin Yilek, who has been covering the negotiations, and watch Margaret Brennan's full interview with Gonzales here.

On and Off the Trail:

Jeff Roe, main strategist for DeSantis super PAC, resigns: Jeff Roe, chief strategist for "Never Back Down" -- the super PAC backing the presidential run of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis -- resigned from the group on Saturday night.
Roe is the highest profile staffer to leave the PAC in recent weeks, after several top officials were fired following the arrival of the PAC's new chairman, Scott Wagner. Roe, a seasoned GOP operative who was the architect of the PAC's ground game operation in Iowa for DeSantis, announced his departure after a Washington Post story published Saturday contained a statement from Wagner that was critical of some former employees. Read more from Aaron Navarro, who has been covering DeSantis' campaign.
DeSantis predicts Trump won't accept results in Iowa or New Hampshire if he loses: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he expects that if former president Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, were to lose the first Republican voting contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire, he won't accept the results. Trump never publicly accepted his loss in the 2020 election and has been indicted in two separate cases related to his alleged efforts to thwart the peaceful transfer of power. "He will say it's stolen no matter what. He will try to delegitimize the results. He did that against Ted Cruz in 2016," DeSantis said, referring to Cruz's victory in the Iowa caucuses. In remarks to reporters in New Hampshire, DeSantis pointed out Trump had also tried to discredit the Emmy Awards for years after his show, "The Apprentice," failed to win any awards. Read more from Aaron Navarro and Olivia Rinaldi.
Melania Trump says her experience with immigration process "opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face": Former first lady Melania Trump made a rare public appearance Friday at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, D.C., to congratulate 25 new American citizens at the National Archives -- which happens to be at the center of one of the federal indictments against her husband, former President Donald Trump. Melania Trump spoke candidly about the difficulties she faced in becoming a citizen after she emigrated to the United States from Slovenia for her fashion career in 1996, recalling the "labyrinth of organizing paperwork" she had to navigate. Read more from Olivia Rinaldi.
RFK Jr. faces steep hurdles and high costs to get on ballot in all 50 states: At his campaign events, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn't just making his pitch for the presidency -- he's also asking voters to put him on the ballot in their states, a steep hurdle that must be cleared by independent candidates. At a recent rally in Kansas City, Missouri, Kennedy asked the crowd of about 300 voters for help. The state requires independent candidates to collect 10,000 signatures by July 29 to appear on the 2024 general election presidential ballot. "I need you to help me," Kennedy said. "You know, in this state, Democrats and Republicans both get on the ballot for free. I need to work for it." Read more from Cristina Corujo.

More Politics Stories

Mark Meadows' bid to move election interference charges to federal court met with skepticism by three-judge panel: A recent 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling involving a Georgia man who claims to be an heir to the Moroccan kingdom may not bode well for Mark Meadows' attempt to move the election interference charges against him in Georgia from state court to federal court. The case of the aspiring heir, decided in October, raised the question of whether a statute applying to federal officials also extends to former federal officials -- in Meadows' case, whether he can still invoke the Federal Officer Removal Statute when he is no longer a federal officer. The 234-year-old statute allows federal officials charged with state crimes to transfer them to federal court when they are related to their official duties. Read more from Katrina Kaufman.
Documents from binder with intelligence on Russian election interference went missing at end of Trump's term: Materials from a binder containing highly sensitive intelligence related to Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election went missing at the end of the Trump administration and have not yet been recovered, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The material included raw intelligence that risks revealing sources and methods, and was of such concern to U.S. intelligence officials that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were briefed on it last year, one of the sources familiar with the matter said. It's not clear whether the information was an official document or, more likely, a compendium of things put together by former President Trump's allies in the administration, according to a second source. Read more from Robert Costa and Olivia Gazis.
The Point: Mayor Eric Adams says he's open to tax hikes, Westchester executive Gerge Latimer talks plan to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Westchester County Executive George Latimer. One is trying to steer the city through tough times and the other is seeking to help steer the country through tough times. Watch Marcia Kramer's latest conversation with the mayor here and watch her conversation with Latimer here.