Biden, Trump win New Hampshire primaries decisively: Live updates
by 
Last Updated: January 23, 2024 09:54 PM
Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire GOP primary, while President Joe Biden prevailed on the Democratic side as a write-in candidate.
The former president’s commanding victory makes a November rematch with Biden look more likely than ever. Trump’s main rival, Nikki Haley, finished in second.
Biden didn’t campaign in the state or have his name placed on the ballot after New Hampshire defied new party rules by holding its primary before South Carolina’s.
Trump says Haley voters wanted him to ‘look as bad as possible’
NASHUA, N.H.— If voters were looking for a magnanimous victory speech from Trump, they didn’t get it Tuesday night.
“You can’t let people get away with (expletive),” Trump railed as he criticized Haley for failing to exit the race after he won New Hampshire’s GOP primary.
From the stage, former candidate and now-Trump backer Vivek Ramaswamy declared the race over.
But if Trump is looking to pivot to the general election, he didn’t do so Tuesday.
Instead, he repeated lies about the 2020 election and slammed those who voted for Haley, saying they only did so “‘cause they want me to look as bad as possible.”
WATCH: Ballots counted for New Hampshire primary as Trump rides to victory
Ballots for the New Hampshire primary were counted at a school gymnasium turned polling place in Derry. Donald Trump and President Joe Biden won the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday. (Jan. 23)
Trump says Haley had a ‘very bad night’
NASHUA, N.H. — Trump is lacing into Haley as he celebrates his win in the New Hampshire primary.
Unlike his election night speech in Iowa, where he called for unity, Trump is making clear his fury that Haley is not dropping out after finishing second.
“This is not your typical victory speech, but let’s not have someone take a victory when she had a very bad night,” Trump said, complaining that Haley came in third in Iowa “and she’s still hanging around.”
“I don’t get too angry. I get even,” he told a crowd of supporters packed into a steamy hotel ballroom.
New Hampshire seemed like a state that Trump could lose
By STEVE PEOPLES, NICHOLAS RICCARDI
The state’s moderate tradition, the participation of independents, a huge advertising disparity and even a popular governor were all working against the former president.
But Trump overcame all of that, somewhat easily, putting himself on a glide path to a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination that can likely be stopped at this point only by an unprecedented collapse or unforeseen external circumstances.
Never before has a presidential candidate won the first two contests on the primary nomination calendar — as Trump has now done — and failed to emerge as the party’s general election nominee, substantially increasing the already quite likely prospect of a rematch between him and President Joe Biden.
? This is an excerpt from a longer story. Keep reading.
Trump is taking the stage in New Hampshire
Also at Trump’s victory party? George Santos
NASHUA, N.H.— Among those attending Trump’s election night party at the Nashua Sheraton: former New York congressman George Santos.
“I am a Trump supporter. There’s, like, a lot of surprise to see me here. You’re going to see me at a lot more of these,” Santos told The Associated Press.
Asked if he was planning to have any formal role as a surrogate, he said he wasn’t. “I’m just having fun!”
Earlier in the day, Santos appeared for a brief hearing in federal court on Long Island ahead of his criminal fraud trial, which is slated for later this year. He said he doesn’t plan to vote in next month’s special election to fill his now vacant seat in Congress.
Haley pledges to take her ‘scrappy’ campaign onward to South Carolina
Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley finished in second place during the 2024 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fierce fight to emerge as the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump. (January 24)
CONCORD, N.H.— Haley didn’t win New Hampshire, but she says her 2024 campaign is full steam ahead regardless.
Appearing at her election night party Tuesday, Haley thanked New Hampshire “for the love, the kindness, the support and a great night.”
Haley congratulated Trump on his victory, saying, “He earned that, and I want to acknowledge that.”
But Haley said that the GOP race “is far from over.” She vowed to take her “scrappy” campaign onward to her home state of South Carolina, which holds its GOP primary next month.
Haley also took a swipe at Trump for appearing to confuse her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying that his avowed confidence that he would score higher than her on a competency test should mean that he “should have no problem standing on a debate stage with me.”
How Haley fell short
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Haley drew her support from groups that were distinct minorities in the GOP electorate, according to AP VoteCast. She beat Trump among primary participants who were not formally affiliated with any party. About half of her supporters were college graduates and about half identified as moderates.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
New Hampshire’s Republican voters expect Trump to be the GOP nominee
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — About 8 in 10 GOP primary participants said they expect Trump will win the presidential nomination, according to AP VoteCast. Only about 2 in 10 say Haley will secure it.
More than half of Haley’s own supporters think Trump will be victorious in the nominating contest.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
How Trump won in New Hampshire
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — AP VoteCast showed Trump won big in small towns and rural communities, where about two-thirds of primary participants said they live. Most GOP voters in the state lack a college degree and about two-thirds of them voted for Trump. The former president won about 7 in 10 Republican voters who identified as conservatives and those who were registered Republicans.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
Why the AP called New Hampshire’s Democratic primary for Biden
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press declared President Joe Biden the winner of New Hampshire’s Democratic primary based on an analysis of initial vote returns where write-in votes have been tabulated by candidate.
The early returns confirm the findings of AP’s VoteCast survey of likely Democratic primary voters, which found an overwhelming majority of write-in voters supporting the incumbent president. Together, they show that Biden has an insurmountable lead over the rest of the Democratic field.
Biden decided not to put his name on the New Hampshire ballot, since the state’s primary violates Democratic Party rules. It was Biden’s idea to bump the state from its prized first-in-the-nation primary calendar slot in favor of South Carolina, which resuscitated his struggling campaign in 2020. Instead, his supporters are backing him as a write-in candidate.
The VoteCast survey asked likely voters if they would support U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson or someone else. Of those who said they support someone else, nearly all indicated they would write in Biden.
As of 8:09 p.m., Phillips and Williamson were at 21% and 5% of the tabulated vote, respectively, and AP’s analysis shows that there are no scenarios for either to end up the winner.
WATCH: Donald Trump wins New Hampshire primary, sweeps opening Republican presidential contests
Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire primary, sweeping the opening contests for the Republican presidential nomination and setting back to his GOP rivals who are running out of time to establish themselves as a viable alternative. (January 23)
Biden wins New Hampshire’s Democratic primary as a write-in candidate
By The Associated Press
President Joe Biden has won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary as a write-in candidate.
Biden didn’t campaign in the state or have his name placed on the ballot after New Hampshire defied new party rules by holding its primary before South Carolina’s.
Haley finishes second in New Hampshire primary
By The Associated Press
Haley has finished second in New Hampshire to Trump, a setback in her effort to reset the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, who invested significant time and financial resources in the state, ramped up her criticism of Trump after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race and she became the sole GOP alternative to him.
But the appeal ultimately failed to resonate with enough voters, and she’s in a weakened position heading into a primary in her home state.
Why the AP called New Hampshire’s Republican primary for Trump
By MAYA SWEEDLER
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press declared Trump the winner based on an analysis of initial vote returns as well as the results of AP VoteCast, a survey of Republican primary voters. Both indicated Trump was running ahead of Haley by an insurmountable margin.
Initial results from more than 25 townships showed Trump leading by a comfortable margin as of 8 p.m. This includes results from Manchester and Concord, two of the state’s three most-populous cities. Early returns were also reported from more rural areas in the northern and eastern parts of the state. All confirmed the findings of AP’s survey.
The only areas in which Haley was leading Trump in early returns were in the state’s most Democratic-leaning cities and towns, such as Concord, Keene and Portsmouth.
VoteCast showed Trump leading Haley by a substantial margin across all regions of the state. It also showed Haley supported by a majority of unaffiliated voters choosing to cast their ballot in the Republican primary. That wasn’t enough to make up for Trump’s nearly 50-point lead among registered Republicans. New Hampshire allows voters not affiliated with a political party to participate in either party’s primary. Voters registered with a party may only vote in their own party’s primary.
New Hampshire’s 22 delegates will be allocated proportionally among candidates who receive at least 10% of the vote statewide.
Trump wins New Hampshire primary
By The Associated Press
Donald Trump has won New Hampshire’s GOP primary, delivering a setback to rival Nikki Haley, who is running out of time to establish herself as a viable alternative to him.
It was his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He won Iowa’s leadoff caucuses by 30 percentage points.
Allies of President Joe Biden, meanwhile, are hoping their write-in campaign on the Democratic side is successful. Polls closed statewide at 8 p.m.
Why AP isn’t using ‘presumptive nominee’ to describe presidential candidates
There often comes a time in modern presidential campaigns when the last bit of drama has been drained out of a party nomination fight and the crowning of the eventual standard-bearer seems like a foregone conclusion. But we’re not there yet.
Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are the front-runners for their respective parties’ presidential nominations. Though you may start to hear them referred to as their parties’ “presumptive nominees,” The Associated Press only uses that term once a candidate has captured the number of delegates needed to win a majority vote at the national party conventions this summer.
That point won’t come until after more states have voted. For both Republicans and Democrats, the earliest it could happen is March.
? This is an excerpt from a longer story. Keep reading.
Polls are beginning to close in New Hampshire
By The Associated Press
Polls are beginning to close in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primaries. Polls in most of the state closed at 7 p.m. ET and some close at 7:30 p.m. The last polls in the state close at 8 p.m.
And in tiny Dixville Notch, which has only a handful of residents, polls opened at midnight and closed a few minutes later after all voters cast a ballot.
Two White House aides are moving over to Biden’s reelection campaign
WASHINGTON — Biden is dispatching two of his senior-most White House advisers to his reelection campaign in Delaware as his focus shifts to the general election in November.
The new roles for deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and senior adviser Mike Donilon had been expected, and campaign aides insisted it was not a sign of a broader shakeup. The campaign said Donilon would focus on advertising and strategy, while O’Malley Dillon would work on organizing and the electoral mechanics.
New Hampshire voters are getting an extra-special souvenir today
By The Associated Press
The “I Voted” stickers handed out at today’s presidential primary polling locations were designed by fourth grade students as part of a state-wide contest.
Trump’s lawyer and his co-defendant are among the guests at his election night party
NASHUA, N.H. — Trump’s legal, political and personal worlds are colliding at Trump’s election night party.
His son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, lawyer Alina Habba and valet Walt Nauta were among the figures from Trump’s orbit wandering around the Nashua hotel hours before Trump was set to take the stage.
Habba has been representing Trump in several of the legal cases he faces, including his civil fraud trial in New York and civil sex abuse and defamation trial.
Nauta was Trump’s valet at the White House before joining him as a personal aide at Mar-a-Lago. He was charged along with Trump in a federal case over the mishandling of classified documents. Nauta has pleaded not guilty to charges that he helped the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities. He has remained by Trump’s side as he campaigns and attends court hearings for his various legal cases.
How does AP VoteCast work?
VoteCast offers insight – available starting at 5 p.m. ET on the day of an election – about registered voters who cast a ballot, as well as those who decide not to vote.
It is not an exit poll, as it is not based on in-person interviews conducted at polling locations. Instead, AP VoteCast uses a combination of mail, phone and online research to meet voters where they are — increasingly, that’s casting a ballot before Election Day by mail, absentee or via in-person early voting.?
WATCH: New Hampshire Republicans want big changes, but some have concerns about Trump, AP VoteCast shows
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Hampshire Republicans are voting with a desire to curb immigration and overhaul the federal government. Yet they have some misgivings about former President Donald Trump and the criminal charges facing him. (Jan. 23)
Explore AP VoteCast
By The Associated Press
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,890 New Hampshire voters who were taking part in the Republican primary and 873 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Trump is responsible for taking away freedom, Biden tells abortion rights supporters
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are looking toward a general election matchup against Trump as they rally for abortion rights in Virginia.
“He’s betting we won’t hold him responsible,” Biden said to a crowd of hundreds of cheering supporters, referring to Trump’s Supreme Court nominees who paved the way for overturning Roe v. Wade. “He’s betting you’re going to stop caring.”
“But guess what?” he added. “I’m betting he’s wrong. I’m betting you won’t forget.”
The rally came the same day that New Hampshire voters were heading to the polls for the first-in-the-nation primary. In a reflection of the importance that Democrats are putting on abortion this year, Biden and Harris were joined by their spouses — the first time the four of them have appeared together since the 2024 campaign began.
“The person most responsible for taking away this freedom in America is Donald Trump,” he said.
Biden gets mixed reviews on top issues from New Hampshire Democrats
By The Associated Press
More than 8 in 10 approve of his economic leadership, according to AP VoteCast. And around 8 in 10 approve of how he’s handling the student debt issue. About 6 in 10 approve of his approach to immigration. When it comes to the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, however, only about half approve.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
About half of New Hampshire Republicans have concerns that Trump is too extreme
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — About half of GOP voters are very or somewhat concerned that Trump is too extreme to win the general election, according to AP VoteCast. Only about one-third say the same about Haley.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
More New Hampshire Republicans see immigration as the country’s top issue over the economy
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — About 4 in 10 Republican voters identify immigration as the most important issue facing the U.S. By contrast, 3 in 10 Republican voters say the economy is their priority, according to AP VoteCast.
About 7 in 10 say immigrants do more to hurt the country than help it. And 8 in 10 favor building a wall along the southern border.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
New Hampshire’s unaffiliated voters make for a different electorate than Iowa’s caucuses
WASHINGTON — The participation of undeclared voters in New Hampshire means that the candidates are facing a different electorate than they did in Iowa last week. More than 4 in 10 GOP primary voters are not affiliated with a party, compared with about 2 in 10 in the Democratic primary, according to AP VoteCast.
? Read more about AP VoteCast.
Canada is preparing for a second Trump presidency. Trudeau says Trump ‘represents uncertainty’
Canada’s government is preparing for the possibility that Donald Trump could reach the White House again and the “uncertainty” that would bring, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Cabinet retreat, Trudeau said that Trump “represents uncertainty. We don’t know exactly what he is going to do.” He said that his government was able to manage Trump previously by showing that Canada and the U.S. can create economic growth on both sides of the border.
Trump is eyeing a win in New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday, which would be his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination after a commanding triumph in Iowa.
Trudeau’s Cabinet has been discussing the Nov. 5 presidential election at its retreat in Montreal.
“We made it through the challenges represented by the Trump administration seven years ago, for four years, where we put forward the fact that Canada and the U.S. do best when we do it together,” Trudeau said.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Dean Phillips shakes hands at voting site
DERRY, N.H. — Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips was spotted earlier in the day shaking the hands of poll workers and voters at a school gymnasium in Derry.
The Minnesota congressman entered the race in October in an event outside New Hampshire’s statehouse, saying, “It is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders.”
Phillips is highly unlikely to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination away from Biden, even if the president suffers an embarrassing loss Tuesday in a state where he’s not even on the ballot. Still, his run offers a symbolic challenge to national Democrats trying to project the idea that there is no reason to doubt the president’s electability.
Self-help author Marianne Williamson is also seeking the Democratic nomination.
Trump forecasts a ‘big loss’ for Haley in New Hampshire
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — Trump is predicting that Haley will likely have a “big loss” in New Hampshire.
Speaking at a polling site Tuesday afternoon, Trump insisted Haley wasn’t a threat to his campaign and said she is free to continue challenging him for the GOP nomination.
“I don’t care if she stays in. Let her do whatever she wants,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”
He said he wouldn’t comment on whether he’d spoken to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and whether he would consider him as his running mate. “I just can’t comment on that,” he said.
Democratic voter says he’s ‘absolutely’ excited to support Biden
BOW, N.H. — Democrat Durwood Sargent, 79, cast a write-in vote for Biden on Tuesday and said he’d be excited to support him in the general election.
He said he wasn’t offended that the president kept his name off the ballot to comply with the Democratic National Committee’s new primary calendar that bumped New Hampshire from its first-in-the-nation spot.
“It’s not a big deal. They’ve made a big deal out of it. The president’s got a country to run,” he said.
Sargent said he’s “absolutely” excited to support Biden if he’s the nominee in November.
“He’s done tremendous stuff for this country,” he said. “In particular, he’s the first president to stand with striking workers.”
Voter says Haley is ‘much closer to the middle’ than others
BOW, N.H. — Linda Kelly, 46, an independent voter and stay-at-home mom, said she voted for Haley.
“I’m not far left or far right. She’s a little bit to the right, but much closer to the middle than any of the other choices,” she said outside a community center.
Kelly sighed heavily when asked who she would support if the general election is a rematch between Trump and Biden.
“I don’t like either of the choices. I probably would lean to Trump just because the economy was better (when he was in office),” she said.
No major voting issues so far, New Hampshire election office says
CONCORD, N.H. — Voting across the state was going smoothly with steady turnout into the early afternoon, according to Secretary of State spokesperson Anna Sventek.
Assistant Attorney General Brendan O’Donnell, head of the department’s Election Law Unit, agreed, saying it was a “great morning” with “no major issues.”
O’Donnell said his office was dealing with “typical complaints” from some voters who were affiliated with one party and wanted to vote in the other party’s primary. Such complaints come in every year, he said. Registered Democrats or Republicans who wanted to switch their party affiliation for this election would have had to do so by a deadline in October.
There were also some isolated issues with accessible voting machines and electioneering in polling locations that were being resolved, he said.
New Hampshire weather a vast improvement over Iowa’s
The weather for New Hampshire’s primary has been much kinder to voters than the record-setting cold last week for Iowa’s caucuses.
Temperatures in New Hampshire on Tuesday started out in the low 20s and reached 30s by early afternoon, much warmer than the last few days when temperatures struggled to get out of the teens. Some light snow was possible Tuesday night, around the time that polls close.
Iowa’s Jan. 15 vote was the lowest-turnout caucuses in a quarter-century. The high temperature in the capital city, Des Moines, that day was 1 degree Fahrenheit, with the temperature falling to minus-17 by sundown.
Haley vows to stay in the race even if Trump wins New Hampshire
HAMPTON, N.H. — Nikki Haley is vowing to stay in the race even if Donald Trump wins New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation GOP primary.
The former U.N. ambassador has focused considerable resources in New Hampshire, hoping to capitalize on the state’s independent streak as she looks for an upset or at least a tight loss that could dent Trump’s continued domination of Republican politics.
“I’m running against Donald Trump, and I’m not going to talk about an obituary,” Haley told reporters at a polling site in Hampton.
Regardless of how New Hampshire goes, she says, she plans to be in the race for South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary.
“This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint,” she said.
How the AP calls winners and why it matters
The AP does not make projections or name apparent or likely winners. If our race callers cannot definitively say a candidate has won, we do not engage in speculation. The AP did not call the closely contested race in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore – we stood behind our assessment that the margin in Florida made it too close to say who won.
Only when the AP is fully confident a race has been won – defined most simply as the moment a trailing candidate no longer has a path to victory – will we make a call. Many races are won on election night, but it’s not uncommon for it to take a few days – and in rare instances, a few weeks – to reach that point. In the 2020 presidential election, AP declared Joe Biden the winner four days after Election Day – at 11:26 a.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Read more: https://apnews.com/ap-race-calls-faq
PHOTOS: Nikki Haley greets supporters and voters at a polling site in Hampton
Nikki Haley was flanked by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, a 2022 Senate candidate, as she greeted supporters and voters at a polling site at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton. She expressed optimism for New Hampshire’s primary results and said she deserved to be in the race.
“I didn’t get here because of luck. I got here because I outworked and outsmarted all the rest of those fellas,” she said.
Republican hopes Trump chooses better White House advisers next time
HAMPTON, N.H. — Pat Sheridan, a Republican from Hampton, said he voted for Trump “because he did a really good job the first time.”
“We need a businessman, not bureaucrats,” said Sheridan, a 63-year-old engineer.
He said the most important issue to him was the economy. “Everything‘s just really bad right now,” he said.
If Trump returns to the White House, Sheridan hopes he will be more careful about choosing his Cabinet members and should bring in better advisers.
“I think he listened to a lot of people he shouldn’t have listened to,” he said.
81-year-old voter says 81-year-old Biden is too old
HAMPTON, N.H. _ Independent voter Betsey Davis, an 81-year-old who described herself as “ancient,” said she voted for Dean Phillips in the Democratic primary.
Davis, who supports abortion rights and the “freedom to be,” said she would vote for Biden if he faces Trump again in the general election, but she’s not excited about it.
“I think he’s too old,” she said, noting that they were the same age. “He may be a nice man, but nice doesn’t really count in politics.”
Asked what Biden would need to do to earn her enthusiastic vote in November, she said, “I’d like him to be stronger, much stronger. I’d like him to be able to get both parties together.”
Independent voter supports Haley, thinks Biden is too old
HAMPTON, N.H. _ Laurie Dufour was surprised to see Haley, her favored candidate, show up at her polling place on Tuesday morning.
Dufour, 66, said she is an independent who tends to vote for Democrats but likes Haley.
“I did not want Trump, and she just sounded very knowledgeable,” she said. However, she noted that she supports abortion rights and “almost didn’t vote for her” because of that.
Dufour said she would vote for Biden “in a heartbeat” over Trump in a general election but wishes he would consider stepping down.
“Mostly, I just think he’s too old. It’s sad — when I watch him, I could cry. It’s like watching your grandfather, you know?” Dufour said. “I think it’s time for him to let go.”
What to know about this primary
Haley says Dixville Notch sweep gives her campaign momentum
HAMPTON, N.H. _ Haley says her sweep of tiny Dixville Notch is a good start that gives her campaign momentum heading into the day.
“Right now we’ll take whatever we can take,” Haley told reporters while visiting a polling place in Hampton on Tuesday morning. She said she was grateful for the six registered voters in the resort town who turned out to vote for her.
Haley also vowed to continue with her campaign even if she doesn’t have a good night in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
“We’re going to South Carolina. We have put in the ad buy. We are there. This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint. We wanted to be strong in Iowa. We wanted to be stronger than that in New Hampshire. We’re going to be even stronger than that in South Carolina,” she said.
Polls are opening in the first-in-the-nation primary state
Polls are beginning to open across much of New Hampshire as the state’s famously independent-minded electorate makes its pick for the 2024 presidential nominees.
In the first results released early Tuesday, all six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch cast their ballots for Haley over Trump. The resort town is the only one in New Hampshire this year that opted to vote at midnight.
The Democratic side is different, though. The Democratic National Committee revamped the voting calendar to put South Carolina first, but New Hampshire Democrats defied the new order and opted to hold their primary Tuesday, as well. Biden’s name isn’t on the ballot as a result, but his allies are mounting a write-in campaign for him.
Trump battles Nikki Haley, his last major rival
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Donald Trump is aiming for a commanding victory Tuesday in New Hampshire, securing a sweep of the first two Republican primary races that would make a November rematch with President Joe Biden look more likely than ever.
The biggest question is whether Trump’s last major rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, will be able to eat into his margin — or pull off an upset outright. Haley has dedicated significant time and financial resources to New Hampshire, hoping to appeal to its famously independent-minded electorate.
Trump won New Hampshire’s Republican primary big during his first run for president in 2016, but some of his allies lost key races during the midterms two years ago. Haley also has to contend with an opponent who has a deep bond with the GOP base and has concentrated on winning the state decisively enough that it would effectively end the competitive phase of the Republican primary.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Nikki Haley sweeps Dixville Notch’s primary winning all 6 votes
The six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch in New Hampshire all cast their ballots for Nikki Haley at midnight on Tuesday, giving her a clean sweep over former President Donald Trump and all the other candidates.
DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H.- All six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch in New Hampshire cast their ballots for Nikki Haley over former President Donald Trump at midnight on Tuesday. The resort town was first place in the nation to vote in the 2024 primaries.
The voting took place in a new location, the living room of Tillotson House, with the Balsams Resort undergoing renovations. It made for a congenial setting, with an 11-month-old golden retriever named Maxine greeting media and voters.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
New Hampshire’s six voters prepare to cast their primary ballots at midnight, the 1st in the nation
DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. — The six registered voters in tiny Dixville Notch who were preparing to cast their primary ballots at midnight Tuesday were outnumbered more than 10-to-1 by reporters from every corner of the globe — not to mention by a pile of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
The New Hampshire resort community has a tradition of first-in-the-nation voting that dates back to 1960, with the results usually announced just a few minutes after midnight.
In some previous elections, a couple of other tiny New Hampshire towns also voted at midnight, but this year Dixville Notch is going it alone. With such a tiny sample of voters, the results are not typically indicative of how an election will end up. But they do provide for an early curiosity.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Vice President Harris targets Trump as she rallies for abortion rights in Wisconsin
VP Harris was in Wisconsin Monday to kick off series of nationwide events focused on abortion
Vice President Kamala Harris blasted Republicans as extremists for trying to ban abortions as she rallied women in the key battleground state of Wisconsin on Monday, marking the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade by leading Democrats’ charge for restoring reproductive rights.
She singled out Donald Trump, who is tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination, for saying he was “proud” of helping to limit abortions. Trump nominated three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his term in office, paving the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“Proud that women across our nation are suffering?” Harris said. “Proud that women have been robbed of a fundamental freedom? Proud that doctors could be thrown in prison for caring for their patients? That young women today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers?”
The barrage reflects the White House’s intense focus on abortion rights during this year’s presidential campaign. Back in Washington, Biden convened a meeting of his reproductive health care access task force to discuss threats to emergency care and new steps for implementing executive orders on the subject.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Trump surrogates mill around at rally and pose for pictures
LACONIA, N.H. — Some of Trump’s most outspoken defenders and campaign surrogates are wandering around the former president’s rally hours before he is set to take the stage.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia were all spotted wandering around near news cameras inside the hotel.
All three stopped and posed for photos with Trump campaign volunteers.
Lake and Greene are among the Republicans who seem to be auditioning for a spot as Trump’s potential running mate as they campaign on his behalf.
Trump fans line up in cold and snow ahead of rally
In his final rally before New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday, Donald Trump calls on supporters to help him score a commanding victory and secure a sweep of the first two Republican primary races. (Jan. 22)
LACONIA, N.H. — Hours before Trump was set to speak at his last rally in New Hampshire before the state’s primary, people began lining up in the cold and huddling amid snowbanks.
Trump was set to hold a rally late Monday night in a lake-dotted area of central New Hampshire.
Jack Bears bundled up in a New England Patriots scarf and a Trump 2024 campaign baseball hat. He said he was waiting in line so he could show support for the former president.
Bears said he’s not worried about the former president’s court problems. “They’ve been throwing stuff at him since he came down the escalator and nothing stuck,” he said.
Floridians wait to see which version of Ron DeSantis returns from the presidential campaign trail
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis first took office in 2019, he surprised many with actions indicating he’d be a much more moderate leader than anticipated: He corrected a decades-old racial injustice, took the side of medical marijuana supporters over GOP leaders and hired a liberal Democrat for a key state position.
But then he set his eyes on the White House and veered far to the right as he rolled to a 2022 reelection blowout and entered the presidential race. His message was loud and relentless and focused on how he had beaten down the “woke mob” with policies that upset Black and LGBTQ+ Floridians. Not even Republicans dared stand up to his iron-fisted governing style for fear of being punished.
Now that he’s dropped out of the presidential race and is returning to govern Florida for another two-plus years, which DeSantis will Floridians see? It’s a question Tallahassee insiders are speculating about, but one that likely won’t be answered immediately.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Trump trial set to resume on Wednesday
The former president’s defamation trial in New York is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, a day after New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
A juror’s illness forced the postponement of the trial on Monday, delaying the question of whether the former president would testify about his yearslong statements about E. Jean Carroll, the writer he called a liar after she claimed he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.
One of Trump’s lawyers also hasn’t been feeling well but tested negative, and his team wanted to postpone the Republican presidential front-runner’s next appearance until after Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. Carroll’s lawyer, meanwhile, pressed for the trial to resume Tuesday.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan opted to resume the trial Wednesday.
South Carolina congressional delegation overwhelmingly backs Trump
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation has made its pick for the presidential primary: All but one is backing Trump over native daughter Haley.
On Monday, Reps. Jeff Duncan and Nancy Mace endorsed the former president for 2024. Haley, a former South Carolina governor, is one of Mace’s constituents.
Rep. Ralph Norman is the only one of South Carolina’s six Republican House members backing Haley. The lone Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn, is a major supporter of President Joe Biden’s.
Both of South Carolina’s U.S. senators, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, have endorsed Trump, as has Gov. Henry McMaster.
Kamala Harris takes abortion fight to Wisconsin
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off a nationwide tour focused on reproductive rights in Wisconsin, where she rallied women and blasted Republicans for trying to ban abortions.
“These extremists want to roll back the clock to a time before women were treated as full citizens,” said Harris, who spoke alongside a banner that said “Trust women” in bold letters.
The speech took place on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. Democrats hope that anger over the issue helps fuel turnout and win over swing voters during this year’s election.
With Trump close to securing the Republican presidential nomination, Harris singled him out for saying he was “proud” to help overturn Roe v. Wade.
“How dare he?” she said.
Why Biden isn’t on New Hampshire’s ballot
President Joe Biden won’t appear on the ballot since the contest violates the national party rules he pushed for, but supporters have mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf. The Biden campaign has not endorsed the write-in effort. Among the Democratic candidates whose names will appear on the ballot are U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and self-help author Marianne Williamson.
AI-generated robocall impersonates Biden in an apparent attempt to suppress votes in New Hampshire
The New Hampshire attorney general’s office on Monday said it was investigating reports of an apparent robocall that used artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice and discourage voters in the state from coming to the polls during Tuesday’s primary election.
Attorney General John Formella said the recorded message, which was sent to multiple voters on Sunday, appears to be an illegal attempt to disrupt and suppress voting. He said voters “should disregard the contents of this message entirely.”
A recording of the call reviewed by The Associated Press generates a voice similar to Biden’s that includes his often-used phrase, “What a bunch of malarkey.” It then tells the listener to “save your vote for the November election.”
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
With his presidential bid over, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says he won’t seek a third term as governor
North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday that he will not seek a third term as governor, over a month after he ended his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.
His recent endorsement of former President Donald Trump, and Trump’s praise of the little-known governor, have fueled speculation about Burgum serving in a possible second Trump administration.
Burgum, 67, is a wealthy software entrepreneur who won an upset victory in 2016 over the state’s popular attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary election. He campaigned on a message of “reinventing” state government amid a $1 billion state revenue shortfall. He went on to win his first term and reelection in 2020 by overwhelming margins.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Haley hopes to stop Trump’s march to nomination in New Hampshire: ‘America does not do coronations’
As the last major challenger in Donald Trump’s way, Nikki Haley is hoping New Hampshire voters feel so strongly about keeping the former president away from the White House that they turn out to support her in large numbers.
“America does not do coronations,” Haley said at a VFW hall in Franklin, joined by her daughter and son-in-law. “Let’s show all of the media class and the political class that we’ve got a different plan in mind, and let’s show the country what we can do.”
It’s an uphill battle for the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor. Most conservatives want to give Trump another chance at beating President Joe Biden despite Trump’s 2020 election loss and the 91 felony charges he faces in four separate indictments.
With voting about to begin in New Hampshire, almost every top Republican has lined up behind Trump, and polls in New Hampshire suggest he leads Haley in a state uniquely suited to her strengths.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Former Trump rival will campaign with him in New Hampshire
LACONIA, N.H. — One of Trump’s former rivals for the presidency is returning to stump with him in New Hampshire.
A spokesperson for Sen. Tim Scott says the South Carolina Republican will join Trump on Monday night for a rally in Laconia.
Scott will remain in New Hampshire through Tuesday’s primary election to continue campaigning for the former president, spokesperson Nate Brand says.
Scott, who was initially appointed to the Senate by then-South Carolina Gov. Haley, formally endorsed Trump last week. The senator ended his own bid for the presidency in November.
Voter still undecided with one day until primary
FRANKLIN, N.H. — Don Padgett, an independent voter who saw Haley in Franklin, said he will support Haley if she is the nominee but still hasn’t made up his mind for Tuesday’s primary.
While DeSantis supporters may shift to Trump now that the Florida governor has dropped out and backed the former president, there are still other voters up for grabs, he said.
“I think there are a lot of people who are not decided yet,” he said. “I would like to have seen some more debates, and I would really like to see a Trump-Haley debate, but that’s not going to happen.”
An Air Force veteran, Padgett said he wants a president who will keep the U.S. out of war, secure the border and get the economy back on track.
“This country is a mess right now,” he said.
Haley backers boo suggestion she should drop out
FRANKLIN, N.H. — Haley supporters booed and yelled, “Noooo!” when she said the “media elite” and political establishment have been pressuring her to drop out.
“America does not do coronations,” she said at a VFW hall in Fraklin, citing low voter turnout in Iowa caucuses. “We believe in democracy.”
“Let’s show all of the media class and the political class that we’ve got a different plan in mind, and let’s show the country what we can do,” she said.
Haley, who was joined on the campaign trail by her daughter and son-in-law, said it’s no surprise that Trump has gained endorsements from South Carolina politicians and members of Congress, because she held lawmakers accountable in her home state and favors term limits in Washington.
“I don’t work for the political class,” she said. “I’ll spend every day trying to prove to you that you made the right decision.”
Trump trial canceled for the day after juror falls ill
A juror’s illness has forced a postponement of Trump’s defamation trial for at least a day, delaying the question of whether he’ll testify about his yearslong statements about sexual assault accuser E. Jean Carroll.
Trump had been expected to testify as early as Monday about why he has spoken disparagingly about Carroll since she revealed her claims in a 2019 memoir.
The judge says he can’t say that the writer concocted her allegation or that she was motivated by financial or political considerations after a different jury found last year that Trump sexually abused Carroll. Last week, Trump was threatened with expulsion from court for making comments.
Faced with Trump vs. Biden, this voter chooses Haley
FRANKLIN, N.H. _ Waiting for Haley in a dark VFW hall, Jennifer Davis said she is backing the former U.N. ambassador and governor because she supports veterans.
Davis, 40, an independent from Pembroke, said she is a caregiver to her husband, a veteran and Purple Heart recipient, and appreciates Haley’s focus on caregivers.
If faced with a Trump versus Biden matchup in November, Davis said she would write in Haley because she doesn’t want more chaos.
“I’m not giving either one of them my vote,” she said. “We need someone who is going to be a more reasonable person who can bring people together, and I think only she can do that.”
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina backs Donald Trump over Nikki Haley
Donald Trump has picked up another endorsement from Nikki Haley’s home state of South Carolina, with Rep. Nancy Mace backing the former president in this year’s GOP presidential primary.
Mace had stayed out of the 2024 Republican primary as two fellow South Carolinians — former Gov. Haley and Sen. Tim Scott — entered the race last year. On Monday, a day ahead of the New Hampshire primary, Mace told The Associated Press that she was backing Trump over Haley, who lives in her congressional district and supported her in 2022 against a Trump-backed challenger.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
The GOP race isn’t over, but the veepstakes have already started
With Trump closing in on the GOP nomination, the effective audition to become his vice president is underway.
His decisive win in last week’s Iowa caucuses and DeSantis’ departure from the race on Sunday has only heightened what had already been a widespread sense of inevitability.
That has given visits this past week by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, as well as South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the feel of tryouts for the role reminiscent of Trump’s days as a reality TV host.
Others who have appeared in Iowa and New Hampshire on Trump’s behalf include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Lake was at a rally Sunday night taking pictures with supporters and holding a baby in the crowd.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared with Trump on stage in New Hampshire a day after dropping out of the race, also drawing “VP” chants from the crowd as he delivered a fiery speech.
Trump celebrates DeSantis’ decision to drop out
Donald Trump set aside months of criticism and mockery of Ron DeSantis on Sunday night, celebrating his onetime Republican rival as his newest supporter after the Florida governor ended his presidential campaign and endorsed the former president.
For Trump, it’s become a familiar ritual to welcome the backing of someone who tried to take him on. Nonetheless, it was notable at Sunday’s rally in New Hampshire to see Trump praise DeSantis without calling him “DeSantimonious” or “DeSanctus,” putting an end to perhaps the most bitter rivalry of Republicans’ 2024 campaign.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
The race for GOP nominee winnows to Trump and Haley after DeSantis suspends campaign
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday, ending his 2024 White House bid just before the New Hampshire primary while endorsing his bitter rival Donald Trump.
The decision leaves Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as the last major candidates remaining in the race ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. This is the scenario Trump’s foes in the GOP have long sought, raising the stakes for this week’s contest as the party’s last chance to stop the former president who has so far dominated the race.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
Can Trump be stopped? Key questions ahead of New Hampshire after DeSantis drops out of race
Donald Trump’s effort to march to the Republican presidential nomination faces perhaps its greatest challenge on Tuesday when voters in New Hampshire hold the first-in-the-nation primary.
With Ron DeSantis ending his 2024 campaign and endorsing Trump on Sunday, the primary becomes the first one-on-one matchup between Trump and Nikki Haley.
The former president enters the contest emboldened by his record-setting performance in last week’s Iowa caucuses. But New Hampshire has a more moderate political tradition and primary rules that allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the race. Trump-backed MAGA candidates have struggled here in recent years.
? This is an excerpt from a full story. Continue reading here.
