Former President Trump is projected to win the New Hampshire GOP primary, according to Decision Desk HQ, dealing a major blow to his rival Nikki Haley and putting him one step closer to securing his party’s nomination.
Trump’s win in the Granite State is especially damaging to Haley because she had invested much of her time and resources in the state, even notching the endorsement of popular Gov. Chris Sununu (R). Polling at one point had showed Haley trailing Trump by just single digits.
The former U.N. ambassador faced pressure to perform well in New Hampshire after placing third in Iowa and after her rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), dropped out just days before the first-in-the-nation primary. In making his announcement, DeSantis endorsed Trump — leaving her as Trump’s sole remaining major challenger.
But polling in recent days showed Haley facing a tough hill to climb in toppling Trump, with a polling average of New Hampshire surveys from Decision Desk HQ and The Hill showing Trump at 51 percent support and Haley at 37 percent.
Trump was also further buoyed by former rivals coalescing around him. Just before the Iowa GOP caucuses, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) endorsed Trump. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also endorsed him ahead of the Granite State primary.
Haley only received a few endorsements from former candidates, including former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R).
Trump’s win in New Hampshire raises questions around whether Haley will continue her primary challenge heading into her home state of South Carolina, as both wins underscore Trump’s dominance in the party, and the next early-voting nominating contests offer an almost impossible runway for Haley.
Haley’s campaign, however, signaled before the New Hampshire primary that it would compete in South Carolina, with AdImpact noting Monday that her campaign placed ad reservations in the Palmetto State that would run beginning Thursday.