PoliticsPresidential Election

Actions

GOP candidates now gearing up to take on New Hampshire primary

Former President Donald Trump won 51% of the vote in Iowa, for the largest margin in the history of the state's caucuses.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster with former President Donald Trump.
Posted at 4:38 PM, Jan 16, 2024

Three presidential hopefuls are leaving Iowa and its arctic temperatures behind, with sights set on New Hampshire's primary next week. 

The latest poll was taken right before Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson dropped out, but the American Research Group puts former President Donald Trump and former ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in a dead heat.

In FiveThirtyEight's average of New Hampshire polls, Haley is still about 13 percentage  points behind Trump, but she's been slashing his lead over the past month while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sits in a distant third.

"For any of these candidates, a win in New Hampshire over Donald Trump shows that he's not invincible and that there is enough support out there for somebody else," said Haley.

Beating Trump won't be easy. The former president won 51% of the vote in Iowa, for the largest margin in the history of the state's caucuses.

The state of New Hampshire is home to more moderate-to-independent Republicans, and candidates traditionally participate in more intimate town hall-style meetings with voters.

"It's a state where the voters are not as evangelical. They're not quite as religiously conservative. It's a state where some of the candidates don't mention issues like abortion restrictions as often," said Michelle Price, an Associated Press reporter.

DeSantis made a brief appearance in Haley's home state of South Carolina Tuesday before holding events in New Hampshire.

Haley is rallying with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who gave her a key endorsement, while Trump plans to hold a rally of his own as well.

Where Republican candidates go next after the Iowa caucuses
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump takes the stage.

Where Republican candidates go next after the Iowa caucuses

Less than 2% of total delegates were up for grabs Monday, meaning there is still plenty at stake for the remaining candidates.

LEARN MORE