Politics
New Hampshire voters take to the polls, teeing up match between Trump and Haley
New Hampshire voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a presidential primary that could determine whether former President Trump locks up the GOP nomination quickly or faces an ongoing challenge from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
If Trump scores a decisive win with Granite State voters, the primary contest is in effect over. If Haley pulls off an upset win, or even comes close to his share of the vote, the nomination race could stretch for weeks.
Haley swept the first precinct to vote, a traditional midnight meeting of voters in Dixville Notch. She won the votes of all six people who cast ballots in the tiny rural town.
“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said in a statement shortly after the vote. “Thank you Dixville Notch!”
She nevertheless faces an uphill battle in the primary, even though New Hampshire is seen as her most favorable early-voting state.
Trump leads Haley by an average of 18.2 percentage points in an average of polling by Real Clear Politics.
New Hampshire is historically in the presidential campaign spotlight because of its role holding the first primary in the nation.
This year, Democrats overhauled their calendar, arguing that New Hampshire and Iowa, which holds caucuses shortly before the Granite State, are not representative of the nation’s demographics.
Biden did not campaign in the state, and his name is not on the primary ballot. But his supporters mounted an aggressive write-in campaign, and he is widely expected to win the Democratic primary in the state.
In the GOP contest, the scrutiny appeared particularly intense this year because the state’s independent-minded and more moderate voters were viewed as a potential bulwark to Trump becoming the nominee.
Despite Trump facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases — including an effort to subvert the last election — he overwhelmingly won the Iowa caucus last week.
The Republican who was expected to be the strongest challenger to the former president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, dropped out Sunday and endorsed Trump. He was the latest in a string of candidates to challenge Trump and fold, including former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
DeSantis’ decision to suspend his campaign left Haley as the sole major Republican rival to the former president.
Haley and Trump have increasingly scrapped. On Monday, as Haley barnstormed New Hampshire, she argued to voters that the former president should not be reelected because of the criminal charges he is facing and his fixation on those he regards as enemies.
“When you go out on Tuesday, you’re going to decide: Do you want more of the same, or do you want something new?” Haley said in Franklin, N.H.
Even if Haley does well in New Hampshire, her path to the nomination is fraught.
In her home state of South Carolina, where she served as governor, Haley is trailing Trump by an average of 30 points in polling for the Feb. 24 primary.
Trump, who ramped up his attacks on Haley in recent days, predicted victory as he spoke to voters in Laconia, N.H., on Monday.
“Every day the Republican Party is becoming more and more unified,” he said. “We started off with 13 [rivals] and now we are down to two people, and I think one person will be gone probably tomorrow.”