New Hampshire
Nikki Haley closing the gap with Donald Trump in New Hampshire, new polls show
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has chipped away at former President Donald Trump’s lead in the New Hampshire primary race as she’s now within single digits of first place, according to a new poll.
Haley trails Trump by 7 percentage points among likely GOP voters in the Granite State, a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire and released Tuesday found.
The survey shows the former South Carolina governor receiving the support of 32% of voters compared to Trump’s 39% backing.
Support for Haley in New Hampshire has surged since November, rising by 12 percentage points since the last CNN/UNH poll.
The source of the former UN ambassador’s substantial upswing in polling lies in her strength with moderates, independents and those with college degrees – voting blocs where Haley has, in some cases, massive double-digit leads over the 77-year-old former president.
Haley leads Trump by 42 points among moderates, 26 points among undeclared voters and 12 points among college graduates, whereas the former president tops the 51-year-old former governor by 40 points among conservatives, 37 points among registered GOP voters and 17 points among those that didn’t go to college.
Besides Haley, no other candidate is within striking distance of Trump with two weeks to go until the New Hampshire primary.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stands at 12% support, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is at 8% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has plunged to 5%, according to the CNN/UNH survey.
A USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll also shows Haley making significant gains on Trump, but still pegs her 20 points behind the former president in the first-in-the-nation primary.
Trump leads Haley in New Hampshire 46%-26%, according to the poll released Tuesday, with momentum on the side of the former South Carolina governor.
In October, the same survey found Trump with a 30-point lead over Haley, but the former president’s support has dipped 3 percentage points since then, while the former governor’s has increased by 7 percentage points.
If Christie were to drop out of the race before the Jan. 23 contest, many of his supporters would flock to Haley, the survey found, but not enough to put the former UN ambassador over the top.
Trump’s lead over Haley narrows to 47%-32% in that scenario, but Christie insists that he has no plans to exit the race.
New Hampshire GOP Chairman Chris Ager declared last month that Haley, who received the coveted endorsement of New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu in December, can “absolutely” win the Granite State.
“Expect the unexpected,” Ager told “Cats & Cosby Show” host John Catsimatidis.
The state GOP chairman noted that with two upcoming New Hampshire debates – one on Jan. 18 hosted by ABC News and WMUR-TV and another on Jan. 21 that will air on CNN – and with same-day voting, if “somebody catches fire, this is the place they can do that.”
An Alton man is dead after a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire’s North Country Thursday afternoon.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game says 63-year-old Bradford Jones was attempting to negotiate a left hand turn on Corridor Trail 5 in Colebrook when he lost control of his snowmobile, struck multiple trees off the side of the trail and was thrown from the vehicle shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Jones was riding with another snowmobiler, who was in the lead at the time of the crash, according to the agency. Once the other man realized Jones was no longer behind him, he turned around and traveled back where he found Jones significantly injured, lying off the trail beside his damaged snowmobile.
The man immediately rendered aid to Jones and called 911 for assistance, NH Fish and Game said. The Colebrook Fire Department used their rescue tracked all terrain vehicle and a specialized off road machine to transport first responders across about a mile of trail to the crash scene.
Once there, a conservation officer and 45th Parallel EMS staff attempted lifesaving measures for approximately an hour, but Jones ultimately died from his injuries at the scene of the crash, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation, but conservation officers are considering speed for the existing trail conditions to have been a primary factor in this deadly incident.
Recently, I met with a husband who had been caring for his wife since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her needs were escalating quickly — appointments, medications, meals, personal care — and he was determined to keep her at home. But the cost to his own wellbeing was undeniable. He was sleep‑deprived, depressed, and beginning to experience cognitive decline himself.
As director of the Referral Education Assistance & Prevention (REAP) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center, which supports older adults and caregivers across New Hampshire in partnership with the CMHC’s across the state, I hear stories like his every week. And his experience is far from unique.
Across the country, 24% of adults are family caregivers. Here in New Hampshire, 281,000 adults provide this essential care, often with little preparation or support. Only 11% receive any formal training to manage personal care tasks — yet they are the backbone of our long‑term care system, helping aging parents, spouses, and loved ones remain safely at home. (AARP, 2025)
REAP provides short‑term counseling, education, and support for older adults, caregivers, and the professionals who support them. We address concerns around mental health, substance use and cognitive functioning. After 21 years working with caregivers, I have seen how inadequate support directly harms families. Caregiving takes a serious toll — emotionally, physically, socially and financially. Many experience depression, chronic stress, and increased risk of alcohol or medication misuse.
In REAP’s own data from 2024:
- 50% of caregivers reported moderate to severe depression
- 29% reported suicidal ideation in the past two weeks
- 25% screened positive for at‑risk drinking
Their responsibilities go far beyond tasks like medication management and meal preparation. They interpret moods, manage behavioral changes, ease emotional triggers, and create meaningful engagement for the person they love. Their world revolves around the care recipient — often leading to isolation, loss of identity, guilt, and ongoing grief.
The statistics reflect what I see every week. Nearly one in four caregivers feels socially isolated. Forty‑three percent experience moderate to high emotional stress. And 31% receive no outside help at all.
Compare that to healthcare workers, who work in teams, receive breaks, have coworkers who step in when overwhelmed, and are trained and compensated for their work. Even with these supports, burnout is common. Caregivers receive none of these protections yet are expected to shoulder the same level of responsibility — alone, unpaid, and unrecognized.
Senate Bill 608 in New Hampshire would finally begin to fill these gaps. The bill provides access to counseling, peer support, training, and caregiver assessment for family caregivers of individuals enrolled in two Medicaid waiver programs: Acquired Brain Disorder (ABD) and Choices for Independence (CFI). These services would address the very needs I see daily.
Professional counseling helps caregivers process the complex emotions of watching a loved one decline or manage the stress that comes with it. Peer support connects them with others navigating similar challenges. Caregiver assessment identifies individual needs before families reach crisis.
When caregivers receive the right support, everyone benefits. The care recipient receives safer, more compassionate care. The caregiver’s health stabilizes instead of deteriorating from chronic stress and neglect. And costly options, which many older adults want to avoid, are delayed or prevented.
There is a direct and measurable link between caregiver training and caregiver wellbeing. The spouse I mentioned earlier is proof. Through REAP, he received education about his wife’s diagnosis, guidance on communication and behavior, and strategies to manage his own stress. Within weeks, his depression decreased from moderate to mild without medication. He was sleeping through the night and thinking more clearly. His frustration with his wife dropped significantly because he finally understood what she was experiencing and how to respond compassionately.
The real question before lawmakers is not whether we can afford SB 608. It is whether we can afford to continue ignoring the needs of those who hold our care system together. In 1970, we had 31 caregivers for every one person needing care. By 2010, that ratio dropped to 7:1. By 2030, it is projected to be 4:1. Our caregiver supply is shrinking while needs continue to grow. Without meaningful support, our systems — healthcare, long‑term care, and community supports — cannot function. (AARP, 2013)
Caregivers don’t ask for much. They want to keep their loved ones safe, comfortable, and at home. They want to stay healthy enough to continue providing care. SB 608 gives them the tools to do exactly that.
I urge New Hampshire lawmakers to support SB 608 and stand with the 281,000 residents who are quietly holding our care system together. We cannot keep waiting until caregivers collapse to offer help. We must provide the support they need now — before the burden becomes too heavy to bear.
Anne Marie Sirrine, LICSW, CDP is a staff therapist and the director of the REAP (Referral Education Assistance & Prevention) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center.
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