As the last major challenger in 㽶Ƶֱs way to the Republican nomination, 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.
㽶ƵֱAmerica does not do coronations,㽶Ƶֱ Haley said at a VFW hall in Franklin, joined by her daughter and son-in-law. 㽶ƵֱLet㽶Ƶֱs show all of the media class and the political class that we㽶Ƶֱve got a different plan in mind, and let㽶Ƶֱs show the country what we can do.㽶Ƶֱ
It㽶Ƶֱs 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 and .
With voting about to begin in New Hampshire, . Polls in New Hampshire suggest he leads Haley in a state , though his lead is narrower than the 30-point blowout he scored in the Iowa caucuses.
Trump planned to hold his last rally before the election Monday night. He started the day in New York for his after an earlier jury determined he had sexually abused a columnist in the 1990s, but the session was canceled .
Trump was being joined on stage Monday night by three of his former opponents who have now endorsed him: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. The show of force is part of a broader effort by Trump㽶Ƶֱs team to lock up the primary and demonstrate the party is rallying around him.
In an interview with Newsmax taped Sunday, Trump was asked if he would call for Haley to drop out.
㽶ƵֱWell, I would never call for it, but perhaps she should,㽶Ƶֱ he said. He called New Hampshire 㽶Ƶֱa special place for me,㽶Ƶֱ noting his win in the 2016 primary. 㽶ƵֱI love this state.㽶Ƶֱ
On paper, Trump had seemed more vulnerable in New Hampshire than in any other early voting state on the primary calendar. Though voters here supported him by a wide margin in 2016, the state has long been known for its moderate tradition, including allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in GOP primaries. And Haley had been on the rise, prompting Trump㽶Ƶֱs campaign and its allies to spend millions trying to blunt her momentum.
Thalia Flores, a former Democrat who manages retail stores, changed her voter registration to undeclared last fall and plans to vote in New Hampshire㽶Ƶֱs Republican presidential primary against Trump. She says she would support Haley over President Joe Biden if given the chance, even though she has never before voted for a Republican presidential candidate.
But she said she was worried the primary was 㽶Ƶֱa long shot㽶Ƶֱ with not enough support for Haley among traditional conservatives to beat Trump.
㽶ƵֱWhat do the Republicans want?㽶Ƶֱ Flores asked at a packed Haley rally over the weekend. 㽶ƵֱAre they diehard Trump or do they want the White House?㽶Ƶֱ
turned the state into the one-on-one contest between Trump and Haley that she and a long line of anti-Trump Republicans had said they wanted.
But some evidence suggests Trump could be better positioned to capitalize on DeSantis㽶Ƶֱ exit than Haley. According to AP VoteCast, DeSantis supporters in Iowa overwhelmingly described themselves as conservative and Trump outperformed Haley 53% to 13% among that group.
DeSantis immediately endorsed Trump upon dropping out, saying it was clear to him Republican voters preferred the former president.
Never before has a presidential candidate won primary contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire and failed to secure the party㽶Ƶֱs presidential nomination.
㽶ƵֱIf she doesn㽶Ƶֱt win here, there㽶Ƶֱs no path for her whatsoever going forward,㽶Ƶֱ said James Blair, national field director for the Trump campaign. 㽶ƵֱRepublicans control the nominating process. They are with Donald Trump, growing every day. We see consolidation all over the place since Iowa.㽶Ƶֱ
To help get out the vote, Trump㽶Ƶֱs team says it has amassed a team of 2,000 active volunteers, including 250 town captains throughout the state.
Trump㽶Ƶֱs campaign was confident about New Hampshire long before DeSantis㽶Ƶֱ exit. Officials point to public polls showing Trump with a big lead over Haley.
㽶ƵֱIf it㽶Ƶֱs a double-digit win, then, I mean, that is a New Hampshire blowout of epic proportions, especially given all of the time and money she spent here,㽶Ƶֱ Blair said.
Haley㽶Ƶֱs campaign has been lowering expectations for New Hampshire after insisting for weeks that an outright victory against Trump was possible.
㽶ƵֱBeating Donald Trump is not easy. He is a juggernaut,㽶Ƶֱ Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney said at a weekend event hosted by Bloomberg. 㽶ƵֱBut how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We have to continue to show incremental growth and progress. We are the last man 㽶Ƶֱ woman 㽶Ƶֱ standing against him.㽶Ƶֱ
Trump㽶Ƶֱs confidence comes even as influential Republicans in the state like New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu warn of dire political consequences.
㽶ƵֱRepublicans are tired of losing. We㽶Ƶֱre tired of losers. We㽶Ƶֱre tired of Donald Trump,㽶Ƶֱ Sununu told roughly 500 Haley supporters gathered in the state㽶Ƶֱs largest city over the weekend.
On Monday, Haley spoke on New Hampshire Today with host Chris Ryan and compared Trump to Biden, bringing up how Trump has confused her with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, mistakenly said he ran against former President Barack Obama, and warned about Biden leading the country into World War II, which was fought between 1939 and 1945.
㽶ƵֱWhen you have two 80-year-olds running for president, you are going to see decline,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs natural. It㽶Ƶֱs what happens.㽶Ƶֱ
Still, the tens of thousands of voters who have packed into Trump㽶Ƶֱs New Hampshire rallies in recent days don㽶Ƶֱt seem to be worried and he makes little effort to lower expectations.
Eric Holmstrom, a 43-year-old Republican from Goffstown who supports Trump, said he sees the former president㽶Ƶֱs back-and-forth travel from the courtroom to campaign events as a sign of why he㽶Ƶֱs the best person to be the party㽶Ƶֱs nominee.
㽶ƵֱI mean, this guy㽶Ƶֱs stamina is unmatched. And that㽶Ƶֱs 㽶Ƶֱ we need strength,㽶Ƶֱ Holmstrom said. 㽶ƵֱWe need unity. We need strength. And we need stamina. And right now, the unity isn㽶Ƶֱt there but it㽶Ƶֱs happening.㽶Ƶֱ
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