Trump is hoping to win New Hampshire with DeSantis out, while Nikki Haley is putting her hopes on
With fewer than 48 hours to go before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew from the campaign, making it a two-person contest that Donald Trump is now attempting to win.
The route to Trump’s nomination to fight President Joe Biden in November may expedite considerably unless he is confronted with a setback in the Granite State or a hotly fought second place from the remaining opponent, Nikki Haley.
Last week, the former president defeated DeSantis handily in Iowa, with Haley finishing third. After winning the first two states, no contender has ever failed to secure the Republican nomination in history.
Nikki Haley’s moment of reckoning
Given the significance of this moment, Haley—the former UN ambassador for Trump—who trails her former boss in polls for what is thought to be her stronghold—will either make or break her candidacy in the New Hampshire primary.
Over the last week, Trump, who is 77 years old, has stepped up his attacks on Haley, calling her “not smart enough” and claiming that Americans don’t respect her. At a DeSantis endorsement event, Trump complimented the governor on his “very capable person” qualities and hinted that the support was essential in getting votes.
Haley responded by criticizing Trump’s cognitive abilities and drawing attention to a previous incident in which he mistook her for Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at a rally. She made a comment about how he seems to be declining and how pandemonium surrounds him.
Haley is depending on the large number of independent voters in New Hampshire, who are eligible to cast ballots in either party’s primary, while DeSantis is no longer in the race. These people, who tend to favor more centrist politicians, are crucial to what some pundits refer to as Haley’s “last stand.”
But Haley has a big task ahead of her given that Trump leads her by 15 points in poll averages, and her recent momentum rise seems to have stopped.
If Nikki prevails, she will be able to pose a real danger to Trump.
Haley may reenergize her campaign and establish herself as a serious contender to Trump with a good showing on Tuesday, especially before she travels to her home state of South Carolina in late February.
Despite having a tiny delegate reward, New Hampshire is important because it is a predictor of electoral performance throughout the country. It is believed that the state primary will determine the course of further contests, such as “Super Tuesday” on March 5 where 874 delegates will be decided.
The state of New Hampshire is vital in influencing the narrative and momentum building up to the following elections, even if the state’s result may not have a major effect on the total number of delegates for the Republican nominee.
New Hampshire’s importance in the 2024 race
New Hampshire is seen to be a better predictor of national election trends than some more conservative states, even though it only has 22 delegates out of 2,429 total. Aides predict that Trump could be able to claim victory by the middle of March, perhaps before any of his ongoing legal proceedings begin.
On the other hand, the Democratic primary in New Hampshire is scheduled on the same day as the Republican primary. But because of disagreements over timing between national party leaders and local authorities, President Biden is not on the ballot. In an attempt to outshine rivals, campaigners still want to put Biden’s name on the ballot.
The Democratic National Committee has declared the New Hampshire primary to be invalid; yet, Biden is anticipated to easily win the nomination, come what may.
