Manchester, New Hampshire – Nikki Haley told supporters at a rally in Salem, New Hampshire, on the eve of the first primary for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. “There's a lot at stake here.”
Hours later, in Laconia, New Hampshire, about 90 miles north of Hailey, former President Trump told the crowd at a rally: “Tomorrow is the day each of you cast your most important vote.” About your whole life. ”
A week ago, after clinching a convincing 30-point victory in the low-turnout Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa, President Trump launched a granite campaign in an effort to quickly end the race for the Republican nomination. They are aiming for an encore performance at state.
For Haley, a two-term South Carolina governor and Trump administration ambassador to the United Nations, the New Hampshire primary is the best, and perhaps last, opportunity to slow or derail the former president's march toward renomination. It may be an opportunity.
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Most final polls showed Ms. Haley trailing the former president by double digits, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination seeking a third consecutive White House bid.
Trump, noting that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Sunday, making Trump and Haley the last major Republican candidates in the Republican race. “Now we're down to two, and I think one will be,” he stressed. It will probably be gone by tomorrow…now is the time for Republicans to come together. ”
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But New Hampshire, where independent voters, who make up about 40% of the electorate, can vote in elections for either major party and has long played an influential role in the state's storied presidential primaries, is fertile for Haley. It may be a land.
Former United Nations ambassador, former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley met with supporters at a campaign event in Salem, New Hampshire, on Monday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The final poll showed Trump with an edge among registered Republicans, and Haley with a majority of support among independents. But Republicans are more likely to vote in Tuesday's Republican primary than independents.
Haley publicly ignored the results and made a last-minute pitch to her supporters: “Go to the polls tomorrow and bring five people with you.”
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Haley also vowed in several Fox News interviews that she would return to her home state regardless of her performance in New Hampshire. South Carolina's Feb. 24 primary is the next major race on the Republican nomination calendar, following Tuesday's runoff in New Hampshire.
“This is a marathon, it's not a sprint,” Haley told Fox News' Martha McCallum in Franklin, New Hampshire, on Monday. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. The political and media elites need to all unite around Donald Trump. “I'm saying there is,” he said. “We don't believe in coronations in this country. We believe in democracy. I'm in this for the long haul.
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke at a campaign event in Laconia, New Hampshire, on Monday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dave Carney, a longtime New Hampshire-based Republican strategist, said the Granite State is Haley's “only chance.”
“We have highly educated, high-income voters. This is one of the few primaries that allows independents to vote. And if she can't get here, she can't go anywhere,” the veteran said. Mr. Carney insisted. in numerous Republican presidential campaigns.
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“Nikki Haley is committed to this state,” said Mike Biando, another New Hampshire-based Republican consultant. “This is the best and only opportunity to challenge Trump.”
“All signs point to Trump having an electoral advantage,” Carney said.
“But New Hampshire voters have a history of showing up late,” Carney added. “And voting in the New Hampshire primary is especially difficult because of the independents.”
Biundo, a veteran of the 2016 Trump campaign who was an adviser to Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy this term, said he could suffer an embarrassing loss in his home state of South Carolina and a double-digit loss in New Hampshire. I predict that the loss will hurt Mr. Haley.” To withdraw from the race by Friday. ”
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