Ahead of New Hampshire’s primary Jan. 23, unusual factors may be boosting contender Nikki Haley. Both camps express confidence they can win.
After achieving a record-breaking victory in the Iowa Caucuses, former President Donald Trump now faces a smaller field of competitors but a bigger challenge in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
Political analysts still say the odds and momentum appear to favor President Trump, but the political climate in the Granite State differs significantly from Iowa’s.
When New Hampshire voters head to the polls on Jan. 23, they will have a choice among three Republican candidates vying for the GOP’s presidential nomination. Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out after placing fourth in Iowa and endorsed President Trump.
Since April, right after President Trump was indicted in the first of four criminal cases, he has never dipped below 50 percent support in the national RealClearPolitics (RCP) average of opinion polls.
Since mid-July, none of his challengers have broken the 20-percent mark in the nationwide average.
But in New Hampshire, the picture looks less lopsided. And the territory is more hostile to President Trump.
There, candidate Nikki Haley, who served as a United Nations ambassador while President Trump was in office, appears to be polling “within striking distance,” Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa political science professor, told The Epoch Times.
Ms. Haley, who also served as a two-term governor of South Carolina, rated under 10 percent in New Hampshire this summer. But she now commands a 33.5-percent polling average. President Trump remains in the lead with 46.3 percent, 12.8 percent above Ms. Haley, in New Hampshire.
That margin would be comfortable for most politicians. But it may be less secure in this instance, for several reasons.
Unusual Circumstances
Ms. Haley’s support could rise because she is likely to gain a share of the 12 percent of New Hampshire voters who were supporting New Jersey governor Chris Christie; he exited the race on Jan. 10, five days before Mr. Ramaswamy did.
