New Hampshire to hold Republican primary election
Republicans in the US state of New Hampshire (NH) will vote for their party’s presidential candidate today.
The NH Primary is the second preliminary election in the Republican Party’s calendar to select their 2024 presidential nominee. The leading candidates in the field are former President Donald Trump and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley. Former Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew from the race on Monday and endorsed Trump. Twenty-two delegates will be apportioned ahead of the party’s July nominating convention.
Historically, the winner of the NH primary has been the candidate with the highest likelihood of Presidential nomination, since 1952 only four candidates have won the nomination without winning here. Trump is the overwhelming favorite having won the Iowa caucus by a record 30 percentage points more than the second-placed candidate DeSantis. Astonishingly, he received more than 50% of the vote, no Republican candidate has achieved this feat ever. Haley, however, performed better than expected, earning 19% of the vote and has been gaining on Trump in the past week’s NH polls.
Short term, Trump will surely win the NH Primary, he commands the strongest sway with GOP voters across the country and with DeSantis’ endorsement only stands to gain more support in NH. Medium-term a win here will gift him the preeminence as the 2024 Republican nominee. Long-term, expect Trump’s legal calendar to prevent him effectively campaigning nationwide. Furthermore, should he be convicted and still win in November, expect this to damage his foreign credibility as the leader of the free world.