Trump, according to aggregates of national opinion polls, holds about a 50-percentage-point lead over her, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also in the mix.
Trump also has large leads in early Republican nominating states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
The polls show her tied with DeSantis in Iowa and surpassing him in New Hampshire.
Should Haley's rise continue, she would likely face a full onslaught of attacks from the Trump campaign, pro-Trump social media influencers, and related super PAC spending groups.
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the campaign would soon turn its attention to Haley.
Persons:
Nikki Haley, Adrienne Arsht, Mike Segar, Donald Trump, Haley, Kyle Kondik, Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Whit Ayres, Ayres, Joe Biden's, Haley's, Betsy Ankney, Nikki, Olivia Perez, HALEY Trump's, Koch, James Oliphant, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool
Organizations:
South Carolina, Republican, U.S, NBC News, Adrienne, Adrienne Arsht Center, Performing Arts, REUTERS, Rights, Trump, University of Virginia Center for Politics, Florida Governor, DeSantis, TRUMP, Thomson
Locations:
Miami , Florida, U.S, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, California, Texas, South, Tuscaloosa , Alabama