Many now see Haley as Trump’s top GOP challenger. She faces hurdles ahead.

Nikki Haley has in many ways pushed past Ron DeSantis to become the top alternative to Donald Trump, interviews with voters and operatives as well as polling data show — shifting the dynamic of the Republican presidential race less than two months before the first nominating contest.

Trump remains in control, holding a wide lead in state and national surveys as he centers his campaign on stoking grievances, vowing revenge against critics if returned to power and using the four criminal indictments he faces as a rallying cry. But the jockeying in a tier below the ex-president has moved, with Haley pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second in all-important Iowa and holding sole possession of that spot in recent surveys of New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina, two subsequent contests.

Beyond those polling gains, which the former U.N. ambassador has built on well-received debate performances, Haley has also drawn fresh attention from some wealthy donors and is getting bigger crowds on the trail with a pitch rooted in general election appeal and reversing the GOP’s losing streak, as well as building consensus on some divisive issues such as abortion.