The New Hampshire primary is underway as voters brave the cold to make their voices heard in the Republican race pitting former President Donald Trump against his sole remaining rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
There are 22 delegates at stake for the Republican candidates, and polls close by 8 p.m. ET at the latest. While the delegate total is relatively small, the results will have an outsized impact on the race going forward.
Trump is looking to repeat his decisive victory in last week’s Iowa caucuses, while Haley is hoping to close the gap and keep her campaign afloat. Haley will likely need a strong showing in order to compete in the races to come, including her home state of South Carolina and on Super Tuesday, March 5, when 16 states and territories hold their contests.
Haley told “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell on Monday that Trump’s nomination is not a foregone conclusion.
“This is not a coronation. This is an election. You have Iowa, you have New Hampshire, you have South Carolina, you have Super Tuesday,” Haley said. “You can’t just have one or two states decide this. You’ve got to allow a lot of the country to decide this.”
On the Democratic side, meanwhile, President Biden is not appearing on the ballot, and no delegates will be awarded based on Tuesday’s results. The Democratic National Committee punished the state for its decision to maintain its first-in-the-nation status, since the party wanted South Carolina to go first in the 2024 Democratic cycle. The president’s reelection campaign has instead urged Democrats to write in Mr. Biden’s name.
Follow live updates as New Hampshire voters go to the polls:
Haley campaign vows to stay in the race after New Hampshire
In a memo to “interested parties” released Tuesday, Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney said the campaign will continue past New Hampshire, regardless of the outcome.
“The political class and the media want to give Donald Trump a coronation. They say the race is over. They want to throw up their hands, after only 110,000 people have voted in a caucus in Iowa and say, well, I guess it’s Trump,” Ankney wrote. “That isn’t how this works.”
Calling Haley “the last hope to get our party and our country back on track,” Ankney pointed to Super Tuesday states that, like New Hampshire, allow independents to vote in their GOP primaries.
“Independents voting in primaries is nothing new — historically, GOP nominees have relied on Independents as part of their path to victory, including Donald Trump in 2016,” she wrote. “But in 2024, Nikki Haley is the beneficiary of those Independents — in both the Republican primaries and the general election.”
Ankney wrote that 11 of the 16 states and territories voting on Super Tuesday allow independents to cast ballots in their GOP races.
“After Super Tuesday, we will have a very good picture of where this race stands. At that point, millions of Americans in 26 states and territories will have voted,” she wrote. “Until then, everyone should take a deep breath.”
Why the New Hampshire primary is first in the nation
The history and impact of the New Hampshire primary
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While the Iowa caucuses were the first contest of the 2024 nomination cycle, caucuses differ from primaries in several key respects.
A caucus is essentially a community meeting. Voters gather at a set time and supporters of various candidates make their case to their neighbors. Primaries are more traditional elections, with polls open throughout the day and voting by secret ballot. Turnout is typically higher in a primary, since voters have more flexibility.
New Hampshire’s position as the first primary contest is legally binding. The state has held first-in-the-nation primary status for more than a century, and a 1975 state law cemented its place on the calendar.
“The presidential primary election shall be held on the second Tuesday in March or on a date selected by the secretary of state which is 7 days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election, whichever is earlier, of each year when a president of the United States is to be elected or the year previous,” the law says.
Read more about why New Hampshire goes first here.
When is the next primary after New Hampshire? Here are the dates for upcoming 2024 Republican elections
Ed O’Keefe talks New Hampshire primaries
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After New Hampshire, there is a steady procession of primaries and caucuses leading up to the Republican National Convention in July, when the party’s delegates will officially select their nominee. The importance of those contests depend on whether Haley can stay in the race.
Nevada and the Virgin Islands are next on the GOP calendar, but a quirk in Nevada’s selection process means Haley and Trump will not be going head-to-head in the caucuses that decide the state’s delegates.
The next major contest will therefore be on Feb. 24 in South Carolina, Haley’s home state. Michigan will hold its primary three days later, on Feb. 27.
From there, the race goes national, with Super Tuesday on March 5.
Read more about the GOP primary schedule here.
Haley wins all 6 votes in late-night tally in Dixville Notch
Nikki Haley wins all 6 votes in Dixville Notch primary
01:38
Deep in New Hampshire’s North Country, a handful of civic-minded Americans in a small town called Dixville Notch gathered late into the night on Monday to cast the first votes of the state’s 2024 primary.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley received all six votes.
“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said after the votes were counted. “Thank you, Dixville Notch!”
The tradition of voting at midnight began more than 60 years ago, and has some surprising roots.
Read more about Dixville Notch here.
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