Nikki Haley, the former Republican governor of South Carolina, declared her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 on Tuesday morning.

However, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey issued shortly after her declaration, she has a significant uphill battle.

Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump White House, was the first Republican to declare her intention to run for president against former President Donald Trump.

Others will undoubtedly follow, but for the time being, the GOP contest pits Haley against Trump, who announced his candidacy in November.

As she positioned herself as the only person capable of leading the party into the future, Haley made a few subtle barbs at her previous employer and others in the party.

“Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections,” she said. “That has to change.”

Get excited! Time for a new generation.

Let’s do this! 👊 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BD5k4WY1CP

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 14, 2023

Haley’s appraisal of the Republican Party is correct. The party must do a better job of attracting independent voters and motivating its base to not just vote but to encourage their friends and family members to do the same.

However, if the survey released Tuesday is a true reflection of how people perceive her, Haley’s candidacy might end prematurely during what is expected to be a rigorous and hard-fought primary campaign.

According to Reuters/Ipsos polling of 1,465 registered Republicans from February 6 to Monday, Trump tops the current field of declared and potential contenders, with 43 percent indicating they would support him.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in second with 31 percent of the vote.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has hinted at a presidential bid, received support from 7% of those questioned by Reuters/Ipsos.

Haley finished fourth with the backing of 4% of registered Republicans.

According to Reuters’ methodology, the poll’s “credibility interval, a measure of precision, was approximately 3% among registered Republicans.”

More surveys will be released, but the 2024 contest is officially underway, and the field is beginning to take form.

The main uncertainty appears to be whether DeSantis will enter the race.