Trump cruises to victory in NH primary election

Donald Trump has cruised to victory in New Hampshire's Republican presidential contest, Edison Research projects, marching closer to a November rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden even as his only remaining rival, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, vows to soldier on despite her loss.

"This race is far from over," she told her supporters at a post-election party in Concord on Tuesday, challenging Trump to debate her.

"I'm a fighter. And I'm scrappy. And now we're the last one standing next to Donald Trump."

At his own party in Nashua, Trump opened his speech by mocking Haley, calling her an "imposter" and saying, "She's doing, like, a speech like she won. She didn't win. She lost. ... She had a very bad night."

His remarks followed a series of angry posts on his Truth Social app, calling her "DELUSIONAL".

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley waves to supporters
Nikki Haley insisted to supporters that 'this race is far from over".

Haley had hoped the northeastern state's large cadre of independent voters would carry her to an upset win that might loosen Trump's iron grip on the Republican Party.

Instead, Trump will become the first Republican to sweep competitive votes in both Iowa - where he won by a record margin eight days ago - and New Hampshire since 1976.

With 41 per cent of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison, Trump held a comfortable 54.7 per cent to 43.7 per cent lead.

While the final margin was still unclear, the result will likely bolster some Republicans' calls for Haley to drop out of the race and allow the party to coalesce behind Trump.

Her campaign vowed earlier on Tuesday to push forward until "Super Tuesday" in early March, when Republicans in 15 states and one territory vote on the same day.

Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Nashua, New Hampshire
Trump opened his vitory speech by mocking Haley and calling her an "imposter".

The next competitive contest is on February 24 in South Carolina, where Haley was born and served two terms as governor.

Despite her ties, however, Trump has racked up endorsements from most of the state's Republican figures, and opinion polls show him with a wide lead.

In Iowa, Haley finished just behind the second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis while focusing much of her early campaign on New Hampshire, where the more moderate electorate was expected to offer perhaps her best chance of winning a state over Trump.

DeSantis, once seen as Trump's most formidable challenger, dropped out on Sunday and endorsed Trump.

Despite Trump's win on Tuesday, exit polls hinted at his potential vulnerabilities in a general election.

Supporters of Nikki Haley react as election results come in
Haley will likely face increased calls to drop out after defeats in New Hampshire and Iowa.

He faces four sets of criminal charges for a range of offences, including his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat and his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021.

About 44 per cent of Republican primary voters said he would not be fit to serve if convicted in court, according to Edison's exit polling.

More than half said they did not believe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election, echoing Trump's false claims that the result was tainted by fraud.

Edison projected Biden would win the New Hampshire Democratic primary based on write-in votes after he declined to appear on the ballot, having supported his party's effort to move their first primary election to South Carolina.

.With 18 per cent of the estimated vote counted, Edison said Biden had 66.8 per cent, far ahead of US Representative Dean Phillips at 20 per cent.

President Joe Biden speaks at a rally in Virginia
President Joe Biden won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary without appearing on the ballot.

There were warning signs for Biden, however. Nearly three-quarters of Republican primary voters said the economy was either poor or not good, an area where Biden has struggled to highlight his administration's accomplishments.

The Democratic president, whose advisers expect a rematch with Trump, took aim at Republicans over their efforts curb abortion rights in a Virginia speech on Tuesday.

Biden has also cast Trump as a would-be dictator and a threat to democracy.

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

Haley had stepped up her attacks on Trump as the election drew near, criticising his affinity for strongmen such as Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Haley, 52, has also gone after Trump's age - he is 77 - and mental acuity, attacks she has also regularly levelled at Biden, who is 81.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store