Former President Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire Republican primary, beating his lone remaining competitor in the race for the GOP nomination, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC).
The Associated Press called the race for Trump at 8:00 p.m. ET, just as polls closed, signaling major concerns for Haley. As of 8:08 p.m. ET, Trump had 54.3 percent of the vote to Haley’s 44.7 percent, with just 19 percent of the vote reported, according to the New York Times.
BREAKING: Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. #APRaceCall at 8:00 p.m. EST. https://t.co/FjgpZFcJ4E
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) January 24, 2024
Trump’s win comes on the heels of his historic victory in the Iowa Caucuses last week. The major remaining question this evening will be the margin he wins by. A decisive win leaves Haley at a crossroads, where she will choose to either continue forging forward with an unlikely path to the nomination or cede the race to the 45th president after just two states.
Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, during a campaign event at the Artisan Hotel in Salem, New Hampshire, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Haley’s New Hampshire ambitions depend on high turnout among undeclared voters and former Democrats, strengthening her argument that she can grow the Republican party and win the presidency in November, according to a political strategist supporting her campaign. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty)
Notably, Trump’s top two other former competitors, Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), departed the race after his win last week and endorsed the 45th president. DeSantis did so after placing second in the Hawkeye State – in an even better position than Haley. Their endorsements were preceded by former 2024 candidate Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R-ND) on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters during a caucus night party, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a caucus site at Horizon Events Center, in Clive, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Moreover, another former 2024 presidential candidate, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who then-Gov. Haley appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2012, endorsed Trump on Friday night. Burgum, Ramaswamy, and Scott all appeared with Trump on stage at his final rally in New Hampshire Monday in a show of solidarity, and all three men indicated the race for the nomination could end in the Granite State.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy listen during a campaign event in Laconia, N.H., Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“Come out on Tuesday night, end this primary right here — off to defeat Joe Biden in November, and our best days as a nation are still yet ahead of us. Vote Trump, and that’s how we do this,” Ramaswamy urged voters.
“We end this primary tomorrow in New Hampshire with a fantastic win,” Burgum declared.
Scott asked voters to scream if they wanted the race for the nomination to be over on Tuesday, prompting raucous cheers.
Speaking with Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Saturday over the weekend, Scott said, “The race is already over.”
“And politically speaking and figuratively speaking, they are dead people walking. It is time for this Republican Party to focus only on one person, and that is eliminating Joe Biden by electing Donald Trump,” he added.
