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Nikki Haley swept the first votes cast in New Hampshire, but it was downhill from there.
In the town of Dixville Notch, which has this strange ritual of voting after midnight, all six votes went to Haley, with journalists outnumbering them 10 to 1.
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It was clear that many at CNN and MSNBC were rooting for Haley, grasping at exit-poll figures that seemed favorable and downplaying Trump-friendly statistics, such as that 63% described themselves as very or somewhat conservative. “The Nikki Haley campaign has to be happy so far with what they’re seeing,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said.
Well, not so much. When the last polls closed at 8 p.m. ET, the cable news networks said the race was “too early to call.” By then, Trump had jumped out to a 52 to 46% lead.
HALEY VOWS TO CONTINUE ON AFTER FALLING TO TRUMP IN HIGH-STAKES NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump visits a polling site at Londonderry High School on primary day, on January 23, 2024 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having dropped out of the race two days earlier, Trump and fellow candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are battling it out in this first-in-the-nation primary. (Getty Images)
Within 13 minutes, NBC and Fox News projected Donald Trump the winner. Five minutes later, CNN called the primary for Trump as well.
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The only question now was the margin.
Almost immediately, Haley came out smiling and swinging away, as if she had just cruised to victory. “What a great night. God is so good. Thank you, New Hampshire!”
DEAN PHILIPS SETS HIS BENCHMARK FOR NH AS HE AIMS TO SHOW BIDEN IS ‘UNELECTABLE’
She seemed detached from reality, until she devoted one sentence to congratulating Trump on his victory.
Then the former governor declared “we got close to half the vote.” Except, well, in a two-person race that’s not good enough.
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Haley then started attacking the man who named her U.N. ambassador, a montage of lines she has used before. Clearly fired up, she said Republicans have lost election after election under Trump. She said it was “time to put the negativity and chaos behind us.” She said Trump had a “senior moment,” after describing how he blamed her for Jan. 6 when he meant Nancy Pelosi. And her favorite, well-worn line: “A Trump nomination is a Biden win and a Kamala Harris presidency.”
Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley waves to the audience as she speaks at a New Hampshire primary night rally, in Concord, N.H., Tuesday Jan. 23, 2024.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
By the time Haley finished, Trump’s lead was up to 10%. Half an hour later, it was up to 12%.
On CNN, former Obama White House official David Axelrod expressed doubt that Haley would want to contest her home state of South Carolina, where Trump has a huge lead in the polls.
Even Maddow conceded “she can’t win in South Carolina.”
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When Trump came out, he mocked Haley’s address:
“She’s doing a speech like she won. She didn’t win, she lost… She pretended she won Iowa… She had a very bad night… She’s still hanging around.”
Then came the accusation he can’t let go of: “We also won in 2020.”
And noting his lead in most general election polls, Trump said: “Beating Biden–who the hell can’t.”
And then he pivoted to the border mess.
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When Haley’s day began with a “Fox & Friends” interview, it was clear that she had reached the when-are-you-dropping-out stage, and the former South Carolina governor pushed back hard against what she calls the “elite media.”
“No, I don’t get out if I lose today… We’ve had 56,000 people vote for Donald Trump,” Haley said, meaning in Iowa.
“I don’t care how much y’all want to coordinate Donald Trump. At the end of the day, that’s not what Americans want. Americans want a choice.”
Brian Kilmeade jumped in: “I’m really wondering why you think we’re the enemy.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOWDOWN: WHY TRUMP IS CONNECTING WITH VOTERS AND HALEY AND DESANTIS HAVE NOT
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“Because I’ve looked at the media, look at the media saying, ‘Oh, this is Donald Trump’s to have,’ look at the political class all coalescing and saying, ‘everybody needs to get out.’ That’s not democracy. That’s not who we are, who we are. When have we ever had two people, down to two people in New Hampshire? And you say, oh, it’s over.”
Could Haley have made it a tighter race in what should be her best state, in part because independents – and Democrats who changed their registration months ago – can vote in the GOP primary?
It turns out that Ron DeSantis, who also faced a barrage of are-you-toast questions, hurt Haley by dropping out Sunday and endorsing Trump. Polls show that his voters went to the former president by a 2-to-1 margin.
Haley’s miscalculations included canceling two debates with DeSantis, in which she could have made a passionate appeal to the voters, and not hitting Trump hard until the final few days. She also kept a light schedule, didn’t take town hall questions for days and basically stuck to her stump speech, which didn’t make much news.
Her campaign soon put out a memo saying “not going anywhere” and explaining why several states “are fertile ground for Nikki.”
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In Trump’s final speech, in which he called Haley “not electable,” he’s widely reported to have slurred some words (though I don’t know why critics are obsessing over a brief reference to himself in the third person).
Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is joined by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu as they visit a polling location at Winnacunnet High School to greet voters on January 23, 2024, in Hampton, New Hampshire. voters are heading to the polls as the state holds its primary. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“We have become a drug-infested, crime-ridden nation which is incapable of solvin’ even the swollest, smallest problem, the simplest of problems we can no longer solve. We can’t do anything.
“We are an institute in a powerful death penalty! We will put this on!”
Joe Biden’s campaign jumped on this as part of a concerted effort to portray the 77-year-old front-runner as clearly slipping – obviously to counter the liability that even many Democrats see the 81-year-old president as too old for a second term.
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Much of the media, especially some MSNBC shows, are also pushing the narrative that Trump is confused, especially since he mixed up Haley with Nancy Pelosi.
A headline in the liberal New Republic says “Donald Trump is Losing It. Will the Media Make It a Story?”
But even before the results were in, the media pivoted to whether Trump can win the general election, which shows they consider him the nominee, as does the veepstakes chatter.
Politico says “Donald Trump has a problem no matter what happens in New Hampshire on Tuesday night: There’s a whole swath of the Republican electorate and a good chunk of independents who appear firmly committed to not voting for him in November if he becomes the nominee.” Political veterans warn this “makes it much harder for him to win back the people he’s alienated, including those once willing to vote Republican.”
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John Kelly, Trump’s second chief of staff, gave a statement to CNN about his ex-boss: “A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.
“There is nothing more that can be said,” the retired general concluded. “God help us.”
But if he feels that strongly, why wait until New Hampshire primary day to say so?
Look for much more of this. To be sure, Trump drew a flood of negative coverage during the runup to Iowa and New Hampshire, but it was mixed with grudging admiration for his comeback since Jan. 6, ju-jitsu flipping of the four indictments, and surge in the polls. One might even have detected a sense that the media wanted Trump to win the nomination: He’s always the best story, and was viewed as the only candidate President Biden could beat.
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Now that he’s overtaken the incumbent in most polls, the media are already shifting to full opposition.
new video loaded: Historic Brooklyn Church Destroyed in Fire
The South Bushwick Church in Brooklyn was engulfed in flames on Friday, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The church was built in 1853 and is Bushwick’s oldest landmark, according to an expert.
Michael O’Neil is on the hunt for the next John Hancock.
As many Boston sports fans know, the insurance company first sponsored the Boston Marathon 40 years ago, helping usher in the modern professional era of the race as well as tens of millions of dollars in community fund-raising each year.
O’Neil wants to make a similar leap for the race he runs, the Boston Triathlon. This will be the first year without a naming-rights sponsor after nine years with Ameriprise Financial-owned Columbia Threadneedle Investments. O’Neil is seeking a successor that can help make an impact on the race the way Hancock once did with the marathon, a sponsorship role now played by Bank of America.
“We’re looking for that next transformational partner that wants to do something like that,” O’Neil said.
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The 18-year-old triathlon draws nearly 2,500 athletes to Carson Beach in South Boston each August, for sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons, and also features free kids’ races the day before at the same location; Amazon has been a big sponsor for the “Kids Day” events.
O’Neil says he would like to extend the race beyond loops in South Boston to showcase more of the city and boost tourism; the Meet Boston tourism bureau is also among the race’s sponsors. Another hope of O’Neil’s: to continue community efforts that he and his race management firm, Ethos, undertook with support from Columbia Threadneedle, including donations to Boston Medical Center and the city’s “Swim Safe” program to provide swim lessons for kids. (O’Neil started an affiliated nonprofit to help expand this community work in 2024.)
He expects the race’s naming-rights sponsorship to cost “in the mid-six figures” annually.
“We’re over this hump now, after 18 years, we’re an institution,” O’Neil said. “We’re seeking a Boston-based company, that’s headquartered here or has a large presence here, that wants to make an impact on the community. … We know how to do that.”
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.
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Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
Delta-8 is unregulated and untested, and more and more users are paying the price.
Health experts say the drug often contains chemicals and toxins, resulting in psychotic episodes and, in some cases, long-term damage.
Should Delta-8 be banned?
Walk into any of the now-hundreds of vape shops in the Pittsburgh region and just about any gas station, and it’s yours for the asking: Delta-8.
It’s an unregulated, quasi-legal form of synthetic cannabis. It’s supposed to be less potent than regular marijuana, but with some users, it’s resulted in psychotic episodes involving hallucinations, hospital admissions or even violence.
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“You have no idea where it’s made, what it’s made with, what’s actually in it,” addiction psychiatrist Elizabeth McCord said.
Three years ago, a then-21-year-old University of Pittsburgh student took Delta-8 and went on a rampage. He stabbed Al Carlson, a random stranger in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood, seven times, leaving him for dead.
After his arrest, Jasper Hilliard told police he had been in an altered state, hearing voices. And in court, both the defense and prosecution experts said Hilliard acted in a “substance-induced state of psychosis.”
Still, Judge Edward Borkowski found him guilty last week of attempted homicide, saying even under the influence, Hilliard could still form intent to kill. Carlson agreed, but Hilliard’s father said his son wouldn’t have attacked but for the drug.
“My son was peaceful and non-violent for his entire life up to the day the crime happened, and it only happened because, like thousands of people in Pittsburgh, he took Delta-8,” Jasper’s father, Thomas Hilliard, said on June 16.
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Delta-8 adverse reactions
The Food and Drug Administration has tracked 104 reports of adverse reactions from Delta-8, involving hallucinations, confusion, vomiting and loss of consciousness and has issued a public warning. The FDA points to the unregulated, untested nature of the drug and the unmonitored use of chemicals and potential toxins in the synthesis process.
McCord says every dose of Delta-8 is a crapshoot.
“It’s manufactured through chemical conversion rather than grown naturally, so you are exposing yourself to harmful chemicals,” McCord said. “It’s so unregulated that you’re also ingesting toxins.”
But since it’s so readily available, people assume it’s safe — especially in the ingestible form as gummies — which McCord says is an invitation to young people who may be susceptible to long-term brain damage.
“You go to a gas station or head shop, and you see Delta-8,” McCord said. “It looks like candy, and that’s predatory marketing toward young individuals.”
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Delta-8 in Pennsylvania
But even though 22 states have now banned or severely restricted the sale of Delta-8, Pennsylvania is not one of them. A federal ban is scheduled to go into effect in November. And under proposed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, synthetic cannabis would be subject to testing, and only authorized dealers could sell it.
This would take it out of vape shops and gas stations, but too late to prevent the tragedy involving Carlson and Tom Hilliard’s son.
“I’m surprised the state of Pennsylvania hasn’t done something already,” Tom Hilliard said.
