Donald Trump defeats Nikki Haley in New Hampshire jeopardising her fight for Republican nomination

Donald Trump won New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Republican primary on Tuesday, while President Joe Biden was hoping to avoid embarrassment by prevailing in a Democratic primary where he isn’t even on the ballot.

The former president clinched his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination after knocking out the rest of the field with a commanding win in Iowa. GOP rival Nikki Haley, meanwhile, came up short in her effort to capitalize on her strength with independent and anti-Trump voters eager for a fresh voice to lead the party.

On the Democratic side, Biden supporters have mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf to avoid a loss, even though the contest awards no delegates because it violates the national party rules he pushed for.

What to know

Trump has won New Hampshire’s GOP primary, delivering a setback to rival 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 lead-off caucuses by 30 percentage points.

Biden allies, meanwhile, are hoping their write-in campaign on the Democratic side is successful. Polls closed statewide at 8 p.m.

Also at Trump’s victory party? George Santos

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.

Trump had a record victory in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation contest last week.

The resounding win in New Hampshire is likely to propel Trump to secure the party’s nomination despite multiple criminal counts against him, two impeachments and his chaotic 2017-2021 presidency.

The Republican nominee will face President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the general election in November.

The first exit polls in New Hampshire showed 69 per cent of Republican primary voters said the economy was either poor or not good, an area where Biden has struggled to highlight improvements during his administration.

The exit polls also showed that 49 per cent of New Hampshire primary voters do not think Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, a false claim perpetuated by Trump since he lost it.

Fifty per cent of them said Trump would still be fit for the presidency if convicted of a crime.

Trump, who is balancing campaign stops with appearances in various courts, denies wrongdoing and has used the criminal charges to bolster his claim of political persecution.

He had earlier predicted victory in New Hampshire, saying the level of enthusiasm was incredible.

Later, during a stop at a polling station in Londonderry, Trump briefly addressed supporters.

“So excited. I’m very confident,” he said.

The first ballots in New Hampshire went to Haley. Voters in the tiny northern hamlet of Dixville Notch - always the first to vote in the state - chose Haley over Trump 6-0.

New Hampshire, while also a mostly white state with a small population, has a more moderate Republican electorate and a better record of predicting the eventual nominee.

Haley came in a close third behind DeSantis in Iowa and had focused her early campaign on New Hampshire.

“It’s a building game,” she said in Manchester.

“You just want to keep getting stronger and stronger and stronger. That’s our goal.”

Haley’s campaign said on Tuesday it intends to keep her candidacy alive through “Super Tuesday” in early March, when 16 states vote.

Biden is not on the ballot in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, having supported an effort by his party to move their first primary election to the more diverse state of South Carolina.

New Hampshire supporters will still be able to vote for him by writing Biden’s name on the ballot, which could be a barometer of his political strength.

The Democratic president, whose advisers are anticipating a rematch with Trump, held a rally in Virginia on Tuesday night to discuss the threat to abortion rights if Republicans win back the White House.

The Supreme Court, with a conservative majority made possible by three justices who joined the court under Trump, struck down in 2022 the Roe vs Wade ruling that guaranteed women’s right to abortion.

Biden, as well as focusing on abortion, has cast Trump as a would-be dictator and a threat to democracy.