New Hampshire voters went to the polls Tuesday in a presidential primary that could determine whether former President Trump quickly secures the GOP nomination or faces an ongoing challenge from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
If Trump wins a decisive victory among Granite State voters, the primary race will be over. If Haley pulls off a surprise victory, or even comes close to her vote share, the nomination race could drag on for weeks.
Haley swept the first precinct, a traditional midnight gathering of voters in Dixville Notch. He got the votes of the six people who voted in the small rural town.
“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said in a statement shortly after the vote. “Thank you Dixville Notch!”
However, he faces an uphill battle in the primary, even though New Hampshire is seen as his most favorable state for early voting.
Trump leads Haley by an average of 18.2 percentage points in an average of Real Clear Politics polls.
New Hampshire has historically been in the presidential campaign spotlight due to its role in hosting the nation's first primary.
This year, Democrats revised their calendar, arguing that New Hampshire and Iowa, which caucuses shortly before the Granite State, are not representative of the country's demographics.
Biden did not campaign in the state and his name is not on the primary ballot. But his supporters mounted an aggressive registration drive and he is expected to win the state's Democratic primary.
In the Republican race, scrutiny appeared particularly intense this year because the state's more moderate and independent-minded voters were seen as a potential bulwark for Trump to become the nominee.
Even though Trump faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases (including an attempt to subvert the last election), he overwhelmingly won the Iowa caucuses last week.
The Republican who was expected to be the former president's strongest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, dropped out on Sunday and endorsed Trump. He was the latest in a series of candidates to challenge Trump and drop out, including former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
DeSantis' decision to suspend his campaign left Haley as the former president's only major Republican challenger.
Haley and Trump have increasingly clashed. On Monday, as Haley swept New Hampshire, he argued to voters that the former president should not be re-elected because of the criminal charges he faces and his fixation on those he considers enemies.
“When you leave on Tuesday, you're going to decide: do you want more of the same or do you want something new?” Haley said in Franklin, NH
Even if Haley does well in New Hampshire, her path to the nomination is complicated.
In her home state of South Carolina, where she served as governor, Haley trails Trump by an average of 30 points in polls for the Feb. 24 primary.
Trump, who has escalated his attacks on Haley in recent days, predicted victory while speaking to voters in Laconia, NH, on Monday.
“Every day the Republican Party is becoming more unified,” he said. “We started with 13 [rivals] and now we're down to two people, and I think one person will probably leave tomorrow.”
