NASHUA, N.H. - As New Hampshire voters prepare to make their voices heard on Tuesday, candidates and their supporters are attempting to win over any undecided voters following Ron DeSantis’ departure from the race.
What You Need To Know
- New Hampshire will hold its primary election on Tuesday
- Only two major Republican candidates remain - Donald Trump and Nikki Haley
- Supporters of Trump are confident he will cruise to an easy victory
- Supports of Haley caution it's still early in the primaries, and hope Trump and Haley will soon debate on the issues
With just two major candidates remaining in Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, New Hampshire voters will have a relatively clear-cut decision to make, a sharp contrast from the long list of candidates typically seen in these early stages of the primaries.
While Trump can further separate himself from Haley with a strong performance, her supporters are quick to note that there are still 48 other states yet to weigh in.
Massachusetts state Rep. Hannah Kane, R-11th Worcester, has been knocking on doors for Haley for several weeks. Although her focus is typically on Massachusetts politics, she was eager to drum up support for Haley in neighboring New Hampshire.
“I think now that there are truly only two candidates left, I'm hoping that Donald Trump engages with Nikki Haley and we can hear more about their vision,” Kane said. “You know, Nikki Haley speaks a lot about how she wants to lead this country forward. Donald Trump talks a lot about what he wants to happen for him personally.”
Kane is one of dozens who greeted Haley in Concord on Monday as the former United Nations ambassador pushes for last-minute votes in the Granite State.
“Every time I talk to somebody who's supporting Nikki Haley, they are just very excited at the thought about having a new generation of leadership,” Kane said. “They're not at all interested in having to octogenarians in the White House, regardless of party.”
On Monday afternoon, Donald Trump was preparing to hold a rally in Laconia with several of his former opponents in the race.
Peter Silva, chair of the Nashua Republican City Committee, said he’s not surprised to see just two candidates remaining in the race. While DeSantis enjoyed early support in New Hampshire, Silva believes Trump’s legal troubles have actually served to strengthen support for his campaign.
“We have this thing called the 'Steak Out' we do every year, it's our biggest fundraiser, and DeSantis was our guest speaker,” Silva said. “That was back in August, and he was like the hottest thing going. Once they indicted Trump, they changed it. And I think I think that's what happened with the whole scenario, is that, like Trump says all the time, they're not after him. They're after us.”
Heading into the New Hampshire primary, Silva feels all signs point to a decisive Trump victory.
“I can tell you in our committee, which is probably about 100 active members, I would say before DeSantis dropped out the other day, it was probably 70% Trump, 25% DeSantis and maybe 5% for Haley,” Silva said. “But I don't even know any Haley people, I'll be honest.”
In a poll from Suffolk University conducted over the weekend, Trump led Haley by 19 points.