New Hampshire Primary Results
Donald Trump and Joe Biden each secured victories in New Hampshire’s presidential primary, which was held on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
In the United States, members of political parties in every state choose candidates for a general election through caucuses, conventions, or primary elections. Like New Hampshire, most states hold primaries. In New Hampshire, registered Republicans and Democrats each vote for their candidates on their own ballots. New Hampshire voters who are not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party may also vote in New Hampshire’s primary. However, they must choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot when they enter the polling place.
Trump Prevails With the Republicans
Donald Trump and Nikki Haley were the two remaining Republican candidates in New Hampshire’s primary. The field of candidates had narrowed since the Iowa caucuses on January 15. Both Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy suspended their campaigns after the Iowa caucuses. Both men have since given their support to Trump as the Republican frontrunner.
Trump’s victory over Haley in New Hampshire was 54 percent to 43 percent. Trump gained 12 Republican delegates to Haley’s 9 delegates. It will take 1,215 delegates to win the Republican nomination at this summer’s GOP convention.
Trump cited his primary win in New Hampshire as decisive. He has won the first two contests in the 2024 election cycle—the Iowa caucuses and now the New Hampshire primary. Although Trump’s path to the Republican presidential nomination seems likely, there are still challenges ahead. Trump faces 91 legal charges for 2020 election interference, as well as other matters. He will likely have to split his time between his courtroom defense and the campaign trail.
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and former UN ambassador, was looking for strong support from independents in New Hampshire. These unaffiliated voters make up nearly 40 percent of the state’s eligible voting population. Because New Hampshire holds open primaries, independents can affect the outcome of the Democratic and Republican primaries there.
Haley projects herself as an alternative to voters who do not want a rematch of the 2020 election between Trump and Biden. She has called for Trump to debate her one-on-one on the issues. But Trump has not participated in any of the Republican candidate debates so far. On January 21st, before the New Hampshire primary, Haley posted on social media that she wants to debate only Trump or Biden, A planned debate following the Iowa caucus was cancelled because neither Haley nor Trump confirmed that they would participate.
In her speech following the polls’ closing Tuesday night, Haley declared she would remain in the race.
Biden Prevails With the Democrats
Even though Joe Biden is the current president of the United States, he still must win delegates from the Democratic Party to be nominated as their 2024 presidential candidate. The Democratic Party decided to make South Carolina the first major primary election for the party. Thus, Biden’s name was not listed on the New Hampshire ballot. Despite that, voters added Biden as a write-in candidate. Biden earned 66 percent of the vote over 21 other candidates who appeared on the Democratic ballot. Dean Phillips came in second with 20 percent of the vote. He is a member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota. Marianne Williamson, an author who also ran for the party nomination in 2020, came in third place with 4 percent of the vote. No delegates will be awarded by the Democratic Party until the South Carolina primary.
What’s Ahead?
The Democratic primary in South Carolina will be held on February 3. President Biden’s name is officially on the ballot for that contest. Phillips and Williamson are also on the ballot.
The next big Republican primary race is in Haley’s home state of South Carolina on February 24. According to the early polling, however, Trump holds a lead in the state over Haley. Michigan’s primary follows on February 27.
Super Tuesday is typically another big day in the U.S. presidential election cycle. It is the day when a large number of U.S. states hold their primary elections or caucuses. In 2024, it is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5. Sixteen states and one territory, American Samoa, will hold contests on this date.