The AP has called the New Hampshire Republican primary for Donald J. Trump. But Nikki Haley's campaign says she will not drop out of the GOP presidential nomination race no matter the results. Be sure to read Stephen Macaulay's column calling out Trump's dog-whistle on Haley's ethnic background, "Teach Your Children Well", by clicking on The Gray Area at the top of this page.
TUESDAY 1/23/24
Trump Edges Up -- With 16% of the vote in, Trump has 54.2% of the vote to Haley's 44.9% the AP reports.
Early New Hampshire Returns -- With 8% of the Republican primary vote in, Donald J. Trump leads with 52.8% of the vote, to Nikki Haley's 46.6% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Though he has already withdrawn from the race, Ron DeSantis nabbed 0.6%.
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On to South Carolina -- Nikki Haley will not drop out of the GOP presidential race even if she loses New Hampshire to Donald J. Trump by double-digits, Mark Harris, lead strategist for the pro-Haley super PAC SFA Funds Inc. told reporters at the Manchester expo center Tuesday.
"I think turnout is trending in the direction we need it to be so we're optimistic about tonight," Harris said, per The Washington Post. "But regardless we're on to South Carolina tomorrow morning."
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Haley Takes Early Lead – Nikki Haley had a 6-0 lead shortly after midnight Tuesday over Donald J. Trump in the New Hampshire primary. All six registered voters in Dixville Notch voted for the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor when the town opened its polls briefly, NPR reports. New Hampshire’s 221 towns are required to open polls from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at a minimum, though with some flexibility, as with Dixville Notch. Twenty-one names are on the Democratic ballot, none of them “Joe Biden.” The president’s supporters are urging write-ins for him.
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MONDAY 1/22/24
Trump Up – Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is ahead of Ron DeSantis in national polls, but Donald J. Trump remains far ahead, according to a national poll averaging by Decision Desk HQ/The Hill. Trump has 67% and Haley, who as of this writing is still in the race, has 12%, one point ahead of DeSantis, who is not.
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Haley’s Comet – New Hampshire is the never-Trump traditional Republicans’ one and only shot, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now officially out of the GOP presidential race and Nikki Haley polling second behind the former president. Like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and uber-libertarian entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, DeSantis apparently wants a shot at a post of some sort in a second Trump term and is backing his former rival. Apparently, the three former challengers have concluded it’s best to hunker down from inside an authoritarian government rather than from the outside.
Haley’s droll comment after DeSantis’ withdrawal: “May the best woman win,” per The New York Times.
Haley probably will need first place in New Hampshire in order to stay in the race. Her best hope is that a sufficient number of independents and Democrats vote Republican in the primary, which they are allowed to do in the Granite State.
Koch refreshes?: The Koch Brothers early last year vowed to use their super-PAC to stop Trump, and have since put all their campaign money behind Haley. What happens if/when she has to suspend her campaign?
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa
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