New Hampshire primary – Key facts
- Today’s pivotal primary: Donald Trump and his sole remaining GOP challenger Nikki Haley are facing off in New Hampshire’s 2024 primary as voters head to the polls to select a Republican nominee to take on Joe Biden in November.
- Trump and Haley showdown: Trump is seeking to achieve another strong victory after his win in the Iowa caucuses to accelerate his march to the GOP nomination. Polls show Trump’s lead over Haley has widened to double digits in New Hampshire, but he faces a tougher race against her there as it remains to be seen who independent voters will back.
- Biden is a write-in candidate: Biden, an incumbent who is all but guaranteed to be his party’s nominee, won’t appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot following an internal party dispute over the primary’s date. National Democrats made South Carolina the first official state on its nominating calendar, but New Hampshire’s party chose to stick with Tuesday’s state-run primary. No delegates will be awarded from the contest. Still, there is a campaign in the state to write in Biden’s name.
Trump and Haley go head-to-head in New Hampshire primary
On Tuesday, Donald Trump faces his final Republican challenger, Nikki Haley, in a crucial primary election in New Hampshire. The former president is aiming to secure a decisive victory and thwart Haley’s bid to become the Republican nominee.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is banking on the support of New Hampshire’s independent voters to orchestrate an unexpected triumph.
This electoral showdown follows Trump’s overwhelming success in Iowa last week. The winner of the Republican primary will go on to compete against the Democratic nominee, presumably President Joe Biden, in the November US presidential elections.
The potential face-off between the 81-year-old Biden and the 77-year-old Trump mirrors the 2020 presidential race. In a peculiar turn of events, Democrats are participating in their primary in New Hampshire, but due to a dispute between national and local party officials, Biden is absent from the ballot—the first sitting president to encounter such an issue.
The Republican race narrowed to a two-way contest after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished a distant second in Iowa’s caucuses, subsequently withdrawing and endorsing Trump. Trump had already established a substantial lead in New Hampshire polls before DeSantis’ departure. Polls suggest that DeSantis’ supporters see Trump as the most viable alternative and best suited to face Biden in November.
A recent poll from Suffolk University and the Boston Globe revealed Trump’s commanding lead, with a 19-point advantage over Haley (57% to 38%). Another poll from Monmouth University and the Washington Post confirmed an 18-point lead for Trump (52% to 34%).
During a rally in Laconia, New Hampshire, on Monday night, Trump emphasised the need for significant victories to convey a message that the campaign is serious.”We have to win by big margins” he said.