Former President Trump secured a solid victory in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, strengthening his influence in the Republican Party.
Trump appeared to be on track for a double-digit victory in the Granite State, but Nikki Haley's hopes for an upset that could reset the race were dashed.
As of 11 p.m., the vote count was about 75%. According to ET, Trump held an 11-point lead over Haley, a former U.N. ambassador and the last remaining credible rival in the nomination race.
“This race is not over yet,” Haley insisted in her first speech of the night.
Not that far.
Mr. Trump won both of his early campaigns in strong fashion, even if his victory in New Hampshire was much smaller than his 30-point breakthrough in the Iowa caucuses on January 15th. This is the first time since 1976 that a non-incumbent Republican has won both elections.
Haley currently faces the difficult decision of whether to continue campaigning in her home state of South Carolina, where the primary election will be held on February 24th, or cancel it.
The Palmetto State governor from 2011 to 2017 may be hoping for a miracle in her home state. But polls so far show no evidence of that, with her trailing Trump by a wide margin.
Trump has a 34-point lead over Haley in South Carolina, according to an average of polls maintained by The Hill and Decision Desk Headquarters.
It's hard to imagine Haley having the stamina to endure electoral humiliation in her home state. But her campaign claims she is considering including Super Tuesday, March 5, when more than a dozen states vote in South Carolina and beyond.
Haley also faces the question of how to convincingly argue that she has a path to victory.
Mr. Trump and his allies insist that no such path exists. A major super PAC supporting President Trump called on Haley on Tuesday night to withdraw from the race.
“Every day she remains on the campaign trail is a day of service to the Harris-Biden campaign,” Taylor Budwich of Make America Great Again said in a statement. She said, “It's time for her to unite. It's time for her to take on the Democrats. And for Nikki Haley, it's time to drop out.”
Haley refuted such claims in her speech, arguing that Republicans “have all the time they need” to defeat President Biden.
But Haley may not have much time to resist Trump's march to the nomination.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) endorsed Trump on Tuesday night, joining other non-partisans including Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Added Trump's name to the list of MAGA figures. Because he was given Trump's support.
Mr. Rubio and Mr. Cruz ran against Mr. Trump in a competitive primary in 2016, but Mr. Cornyn faced Mr. Trump's most senior opponent in the Republican Party, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). ) close to.
President Trump's victory speech in New Hampshire was attended by Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.), who was appointed to the Senate for the first time by Haley but has recently supported the former president.
“You must really hate her,” a gleeful President Trump told Scott, to which Scott responded, “I just love you.”
The accumulation of support from senators proves that Mr. Trump is in control of the Republican Party, not only in the nomination contest but also in determining the direction of the party as a whole.
His newfound ascendancy, which appeared to be in serious doubt after disappointing interim results for 2022, will now energize the agenda not just on the campaign trail but on Capitol Hill. Dew. That will weigh heavily on Republican positions on everything from U.S. aid to Ukraine to immigration.
President Trump recently criticized a potential agreement between Senate Republicans and Democrats on immigration in vague but strong terms. The deal is expected to make it more difficult to apply for asylum and also facilitate some deportations.
But President Trump posted on social media last week that Republicans should oppose the deal “unless we get everything we need to stop an invasion.”
Meanwhile, auditions for President Trump's running mate appear to be progressing smoothly.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R.N.Y.) defended Trump after she recently apparently confused the names of Haley and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
In addition to Scott, another former rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, also appeared at Trump's New Hampshire victory rally Tuesday night.
Additionally, Arizona state Senate candidate Kari Lake, who lost the 2022 gubernatorial race, has been at the forefront of the former president's campaign and defended him in media interviews.
The eagerness of Republican politicians to get closer to President Trump is not surprising given the position of their constituents.
Haley's middling performance in New Hampshire, made possible only by the support of independent voters, led her to beat Haley by more than 22 points, according to CNN exit polls.
Among Republicans, Trump defeated Haley by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, 74% to 25%.
Haley has some power among white college-educated voters, with her leading by 17 points in New Hampshire, according to an Associated Press VoteCast poll.
But she lost white people without degrees by twice as much. The latter group makes up a sizable portion of Republican voters.
Hayley was spared blatant humiliation in New Hampshire, but it would at least buy her some time if she wanted to.
But the Republican Party in 2024 is the party of Donald Trump.
In the Granite State, that message was once again carved into stone.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
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