As the United States election draws near, the race in Iowa has taken a twist. A new poll released on October 17th by Emerson College confirmed that Donald Trump maintains a lead with 30% of the vote, while former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron Desantis are tied with 19% each.
What’s most notable about the poll is that the Republican Party has not seen a tight two-way race between Haley and Desantis this close to the primary. Traditionally, most races this late into a primary season have been comfortable wins for a single candidate.
The poll also shows that overall, Trump has a strong chance of winning the Iowa caucus and attaining Iowa’s 8 electoral votes. Trump is still polling ahead of his closest competitors, However, both Haley and Desantis are starting to close the gap. On top of that, Former Vice President Joe Biden remains in third place with 13%. Each of the candidates’ favorability ratings have shifted since April, when Haley had a higher rate of favorability than the rest of the Republican hopefuls.
At the same time, it appears that Haley and Desantis are fighting for the hearts of undecided voters, who are split between the two with an even number of approvals and disapprovals. Meanwhile, many of the undecided voters who are supportive of Trump’s policies have not been swayed by Haley or Desantis.
Overall, the poll suggests that Trump still has a slight lead, but that the race in Iowa is becoming increasingly tight. With the election drawing near, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the race change. It seems that for now, all of the candidates are in a race for the finisher’s trophy.