The poll is widely seen as an important gauge, revealing voters' preferences less than 48 hours before Monday's election. Results are always expected to reveal who can gain speed in the final days of the race.
Haley's overall popularity among Iowa voters has declined, but support for her has increased. His favorable rating fell to 48 percent from 59 percent in December, while his unfavorable rating rose from 31 percent to 46 percent. DeSantis has seen his favorability ratings decline, although 58 percent still view him favorably.
The poll found Haley's supporters were far less interested in going to the caucuses. 61 percent of Haley supporters said they were “mildly excited” or “not so excited.” By contrast, 88 percent of Trump's supporters said they were “very excited” or “very excited,” while 62 percent of DeSantis' supporters said the same.
“Deep Data [Haley] I'd say she's stronger in the polls than she was on caucus night,” pollster J. Ann Selzer told the Des Moines Register.
Haley is eyeing New Hampshire, where she hopes to appeal to the state's more moderate, independent voters, but a stronger-than-expected result in Iowa on Monday could provide a boost going into that contest.
A Suffolk University poll released Thursday shows Trump leading at 54 percent, followed by Haley at 20 percent and DeSantis at 13 percent.
In previous years, Selzer & Co. The final survey conducted accurately captured the late breakout candidates. In 2016, Trump at 28 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) also led at 23 percent. But, at that time, Selzer Mentioned Cruz showed deeper support than Trump. Cruz wins the Iowa caucuses.
There was a similar trend in 2012. The final Republican poll showed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Texas Congressman Ron Paul with a narrow edge over the field, but former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania won. Santorum narrowly won the Iowa caucuses that year.
Cruz and Santorum both won with strong support from evangelical Christians, who typically make up the majority of Iowa caucuses. Trump leads with 51 percent in the new poll, to DeSantis' 22 percent and Haley's 12 percent. In the 2016 caucuses, evangelical Christians preferred Cruz over Trump by 12 percentage points. Network Entry Polling.
Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition lobbyist Jeff Pitts — who stayed neutral in the race — has evangelicals rallying behind Trump this time because he has a conservative record that includes appointing three Supreme Court justices. Roe v. Wade.
“He's a fighter, and he's fighting for them. I think people on our side, rightly or wrongly, are pushed by political correctness. I think when someone is willing to stand up to that, they're going to rally behind it,” Pitts said.
Trump's support is strongest among Republican voters without a college degree (59 percent) and those with incomes below $50,000 (60 percent). But among college graduates, Trump leads with 34 percent support. That compares to 27 percent support for Haley.
Weather will complicate voting this year — Iowa is being battered by a blizzard, and meteorologists are warning of whiteout conditions and record-breaking cold.
Trump canceled two in-person campaign events on Saturday because of the weather. Instead, he attended a tele-rally with Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd, where he took the lead in the polls.
“I think we have a big advantage here,” Trump said. He said he was worried about the weather, but news reports said “the Trump voter has more spirit, more commitment. They say they walk on glass.
Haley began campaigning in person on Saturday after holding virtual events on Friday due to weather. DeSantis traveled the state on Saturday for events with Never Back Down, the super PAC that hosts its field organization, and dropped by the group's West Des Moines campaign office with surrogates including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R).
The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll was conducted Jan. 7-12 among 705 Iowa registered voters by telephone. The margin of sampling error for the overall results is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Marianne Levin, Dylan Wells and Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.
