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In 2016, incoming US President Donald Trump (77) began his campaign to enter the White House in New Hampshire. In the US presidential primaries in November, there were initially no signs of a new victory for Trump, which he had just presented in the first primaries in Iowa.
The only remaining serious challenger, Nikki Haley, 52, and Trump were virtually neck-and-neck after counting began. After five percent of all votes had been counted, the former incumbent president was narrowly ahead. The first American media quickly spoke of Trump’s victory and a major setback for Haley.
Will Haley give up soon?
After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (45) recently dropped out of the race, Trump and the former US ambassador to the United Nations are now competing for their party’s nomination for the presidential elections on November 5.
The mood in the small state in the northeastern US could have given Haley a boost in the duel with Trump. Instead, a clear signal emerged of the ex-president’s expected breakthrough in the primaries.
Clearly favored and more conciliatory Trump
In polls among Republican presidential candidates, Trump has a huge national lead over Haley. But in New Hampshire the gap is significantly smaller: the 52-year-old, who once had to represent Trump’s foreign policy on the international stage as a diplomat, has been catching up there and is hoping for a strong result.
Trump called on his supporters in advance to deliver him an election victory in New Hampshire by a wide margin, in order to strengthen his role as the party’s internal frontrunner.
Trump has changed his previously aggressive tone during recent campaign appearances. Lately he seems to be striving for solidarity within the party. He no longer speaks derogatorily toward his fellow Republicans, but rather in a conciliatory manner.
New Hampshire is not the same as Iowa
Anyone who wants to become a presidential candidate in the US must first win in the parties’ internal primaries. The candidates are then officially chosen at party conferences in the summer.
The Republicans’ first election decision was made in mid-January in the state of Iowa. Trump won there by a large margin ahead of DeSantis and Haley. While in Iowa people voted at party meetings, so-called “caucus” meetings, people in New Hampshire voted in the traditional way at polling stations on Tuesday. According to German time they should not close until Wednesday evening.
100 percent approval for Haley in a mini village
In New Hampshire, the event traditionally began with a small town called Dixville Notch in the far north of the state, near the Canadian border. There, the local polling station always opens immediately after midnight, accompanied by a great media hype.
That was the case this time too – and the mini-community’s few residents were the first in the state to cast their ballots. All six votes went to Haley. The Republican thanked platform X (formerly Twitter) for the encouragement. “A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley wrote. However, it is unlikely to gain 100 percent of the vote in other places.
Democrats are also voting – without Biden on the ballot
New Hampshire also voted on the Democratic presidential candidate. However, incumbent Joe Biden (81), who wants to run for a second term, was not on the ballot.
The background is an internal dispute: the Democratic Party wanted to move the start of the primaries to South Carolina – to a state with a more diverse electorate, to give the voices of black voters a bigger stage. The vote there is scheduled for February 3. However, New Hampshire did not want to lose its status as the first state for the primaries and pushed for an early voting date.
Fake campaign call from Biden
The day before the election, false campaign calls from Biden caused an uproar in New Hampshire — and fueled fears of artificial intelligence manipulation as the election year begins.
In the automated call, a voice confusingly similar to Biden’s called on Democrats in the state not to participate in the primaries there. Such so-called robocalls are a common tool for election campaigns in the US. (with SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
