Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire saw Donald Trump easily win, moving him one step closer to a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in November. Meanwhile, Haley, the former U.N. ambassador, pledged to continue her campaign.
At a Concord post-election celebration, she urged supporters that “this race is far from over” and invited Trump to a debate. “I’m a combatant. I’m also tenacious. We’re the last person standing next to Donald Trump right now.”
Haley had hoped that the large number of independent voters in the Northeastern state would help her pull off an unexpected victory and potentially weaken Trump’s tight hold on the Republican Party.
Rather, since 1976, when the two states solidified their status as the first nominating contests, Trump became the first Republican to sweep competitive votes in both Iowa, where he won by a record-breaking margin eight days ago, and New Hampshire.
The exact margin is still unknown, but the outcome will probably support calls from some Republicans for Haley to withdraw so the party can unite behind Trump. In an earlier Tuesday memo, her campaign pledged to keep going until “Super Tuesday,” which takes place on March 5 and involves Republicans in 15 states and one territory casting ballots.
Haley was born and raised in South Carolina, where she served two terms as governor, and the next competitive match is set for February 24. But despite her connections, Trump has garnered the support of the majority of state Republicans, and polls indicate that he is leading.
The vote on Tuesday marked the first time that Trump and Haley faced off one on one since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was once thought to be Trump’s most formidable opponent, withdrew.
But there were red flags for Biden as well. In an area where Biden has found it difficult to highlight the achievements of his administration, the majority of Republican primary voters stated that the economy was either bad or not good.
According to exit polls, the proportion of Republicans voting in the primary was marginally lower than in the state’s Republican contest in 2016. Approximately 51% of voters identified as Republicans, down from 55% during the 2016 primary. The percentage of respondents who identified as Democrats was 6%, up from 3% in 2016. At 43%, the independents’ share remained largely unchanged.
BIDEN IS NOT IN THE BALLOT
After backing his party’s attempt to shift their first primary election to the Democratic National Convention, Biden chose not to run in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire.
(Reuters)
