IT’S A BATTLE OF THE UNDERDOGS in Tuesday’s first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, with Republican Nikki Haley hoping for a boost in her bid against former President Trump for the GOP mantle.
On the Democratic side, while President Biden is far and away the party’s presumptive leader, the incumbent won’t be on the ballot Tuesday — opening a door for Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and others to gain support.
Haley and Phillips, who are both long-shots for their party nods, have said they’ll continue their bids after New Hampshire, where polls suggest Trump and Biden have comfortable leads heading into Tuesday’s contests.
THE GOP SIDE… A memo from Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, said “while members of Congress, the press, and many of the weak-kneed fellas who ran for president are giving up and giving in — we aren’t going anywhere.”
The memo projected optimism about Haley’s performance in states to come, including South Carolina, where Haley previously served as governor. It holds its GOP primary Feb. 24. Haley is entering New Hampshire’s primary around 14 points behind Trump in Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s polling index.
THE DEM SIDE… Biden’s not on the ballot Tuesday due to a conflict between the Democratic National Committee and the state over the primary date. But a group of New Hampshire Democrats launched a write-in campaign for the president.
Phillips said Monday it’d be “literally unexpected and quite extraordinary” if he got 20 percent in the primary. And on CNN’s “This Morning” Tuesday, Phillips said he’ll stay in “as long as it takes” to get a match-up with Trump.
Biden is hardly an underdog in the 2024 Democratic primary overall. But The New York Times’ Reid J. Epstein noted within the New Hampshire write-in campaign “the sort of joy found in spirited underdogs.” There’s some uncertainty around how many Granite Staters will turn out to write Biden in.
CANDIDATE SPOTTING… The Hill’s Cate Martel and Julia Manchester ran into one of the 21 candidates on Tuesday’s Democratic presidential ballot at a diner in Manchester — more on that here.
Follow The Hill’s New Hampshire live blog throughout the day and night.
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