NC South Carolina Times

HIGHLIGHTS

•    Half of S.C. Republicans who are registered to vote think former S.C. Governor Nikki Haley should run for president in 2024, according to the latest Winthrop Poll. 

•    Speculation has already started about who will challenge President Joe Biden in two years to become the nation’s leader. 

 Scott Huffmon

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Former President Donald Trump may face some competition in South Carolina for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 

Half of S.C. Republicans who are registered to vote think former S.C. Governor Nikki Haley should run for president in 2024, according to the latest Winthrop Poll. 

The poll results were gathered by telephone calls and online before the midterm elections on November 8. 

Speculation has already started about who will challenge President Joe Biden in two years to become the nation’s leader. 

Respondents were asked who they would support if both Haley and Trump ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. More S.C. Republican registered voters picked Trump (45%). Thirty-seven percent picked Haley, 10% picked “someone else,” and 8% were not sure.  

Winthrop Poll Director Scott Huffmon stated: “Haley has a strong showing against the former president, who is popular within his party. Since this was conducted before the disappointing midterm results, for which many Republicans blame Trump, her star may have risen even further.” 

As for the 2020 presidential election, only one-fourth of Republicans believe the results were fair and accurate, while 85% of Democrats agreed with the results. 

The abortion issue brought out many voters around the country last week due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the federal case that allowed legal abortion. Each state is determining how to proceed, causing some Southern states to ban most abortions while abortion advocates are suing to block enforcement of laws that restrict the procedure.  

Here in South Carolina, 86% of all respondents said a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if the pregnancy threatens her life or health. That percentage climbed to 92% for Democrats, and dipped to 80% for Republicans. 

If the pregnancy was the result of a rape, 82% of respondents also said the woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion. Republican support was 75% in this situation, while Democratic support was 91%.  

Support for legal abortion fell if the baby was likely to be born with severe disabilities or health problems with 63% of all respondents indicating a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion in these instances. Eighty-one percent of Democrats voiced support in this case while less than half of Republicans agreed. 

When asked if a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason, the support dropped to 46% of all respondents; only a fourth of Republican voters and almost three-fourths of Democratic voters.  

According to Huffmon, “The majority of South Carolinians believe in the ability to get a legal abortion at least under some circumstances. There doesn’t seem to be much support for additional restrictions.” 

Here are more views on current topics by S.C. voters:

· More than three-fourths of S.C. voters are in favor of medical marijuana but support drops to half when asked about recreational marijuana. Republicans are less likely to support the legalization of marijuana than Democrats. Huffmon notes, “Support for medical marijuana has been growing in South Carolina with sizeable majorities from both parties favoring it. While a bit more than half showed support for legalizing recreational marijuana, there was a sharp partisan divide.” 

· Half of respondents said they favor legalizing gambling on sports in the Palmetto state. Sixty percent of Democrats favored this, while only 40% of Republicans supported the idea. 

· Only one-third of respondents thought the newly drawn Congressional districts based on the 2020 Census were redrawn in a fair manner. About 40% of Democrats said they weren’t, while around one-third of all respondents didn’t know. 

· Half of white respondents said the Confederate battle flag is a symbol of Southern pride. Conversely, 63% of Black respondents felt the flag was a symbol of racial conflict and only 11% stated it represented Southern pride.  

· More than half of all participants said same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid. Half of Republicans disagreed. Huffmon stated, “With the Dobbs decision putting abortion back onto the states, some worry that the same might happen to the decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. While more than half of the South Carolina population support the continued legality of same-sex marriage, support among Republicans drops below 40% in this GOP-dominated state.” 

· What to do with Confederate monuments and memorials continues to be problematic and shows the racial divide in South Carolina. Only a third of all respondents said to leave the memorials to Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War just as they are. Around 30% said to add a marker for context, while one-fourth of all respondents said to move them to a museum. More than 40% of Black respondents said to move them to a museum. 

Race, gender and religious reactions  

The Winthrop Poll sought to find out how much discrimination there is against different groups in our society. Here is a sampling of the findings:  

Black people – 70% of white respondents said there is some or a lot of discrimination toward Black people while 94% of Black respondents said some or a lot. 

Hispanics – 72% of all respondents said this group faces some or a lot of discrimination; 57% of white respondents said some or a lot and 86% of Black respondents said some or a lot.  

White people – 44% of all respondents said some or a lot; 48% of white respondents said some or a lot and 32% of Black respondents said none at all.  

Asian people – 68% of all respondents said some or a lot; 63% of white respondents said some or a lot and 78% of Black respondents said some or a lot.  

Gays and Lesbians – 78% of all respondents said some or a lot; 68% of Republicans said some or a lot and 91% of Democrats said some or a lot.  

Women – 65% of all respondents said some or a lot; 55% of men said some or a lot and 73% of women said some or a lot.  

Men – 37% of all respondents said some or a lot; 42% of men said some or a lot and 32% of women said some or a lot.  

Jews – 61% of all respondents said some or a lot; 51% of Republicans said some or a lot and 76% of Democrats said some or a lot.  

Muslims – 75% of all respondents said some or a lot; 65% of Republicans said some or a lot and 85% of Democrats said some or a lot.  

Christians – 53% of all respondents said some or a lot; 62% of Republicans said some or a lot and 43% of Democrats said some or a lot.  

Conservatives and Liberals – Republicans were more likely to say conservatives face a lot or some discrimination than were Democrats, while Democrats were more likely to say liberals face a lot or some discrimination than were Republicans. 

Three-fourths of white respondents said they have not been discriminated against in the past year based on their race, while nearly half of Black respondents said they were.  

Separation of Church and State

The Winthrop Poll explored religion’s role in government. Nearly 70% said it was critical for our government to maintain a separation of church and state. 

Half of all respondents said the federal government should not declare the United States a Christian nation, yet a third said it should. 

The idea that the United States holds a special place in God’s plan figures into many Southerners’ thinking, with 46% agreeing with that statement. Nearly half of respondents consider the founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, to be divinely inspired. More than a third of respondents said they consider being a Christian an important aspect of being truly American. Huffmon noted, “While not a majority, Christian Nationalism, which blends identities of being an American and being a Christian, appears to have a strong base in South Carolina.” 

See full poll results. Check out the methodology here.

For additional information, or to set up an interview with Poll Director Scott Huffmon, please contact Judy Longshaw at longshawj@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2404 (office) or 803/984-0586 (cell). 

Original source can be found here.