News Brief
Donald Trump Clinches New Hampshire, Gaining Momentum In 2024 Republican Presidential Race As Nikki Haley Struggles
Former US president Donald Trump.
Donald Trump on Tuesday (22 January) won the crucial New Hampshire primary, edging closer to clinching the Republican presidential nomination and setting the stage for a rematch with Joe Biden in the White House race.
With vote counting ongoing, Trump had secured over 54.9 per cent votes while his challenger Nikki Haley bagging 43.2 per cent.
However, the Indian-origin Nikki Haley, who was UN ambassador during the Trump's administration, said that the race was "far from over", adding that Democrats "want" to run against her former boss.
"They know Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat," Haley warned, AFP reported.
Despite high voter turnout in the northeastern state, Haley's hopes for a significant upset were dashed as US broadcasters quickly declared her defeat based on early results.
While Haley repeatedly questioned the 77-year-old's mental fitness and warned another Trump presidency would bring "chaos," polls indicate her efforts in New Hampshire created little more than a speed bump.
New Hampshire was more favorable to Haley than upcoming states in the Republican primary. Continuing her campaign without a victory or a close loss in New Hampshire will be challenging.
Her next critical battleground is her home state, South Carolina.
Trump secured a resounding win in the initial Republican contest in Iowa last week, with Haley finishing a distant third.
The once crowded field of 14 Republican candidates has now dwindled to a two-person race after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis withdrew following his second-place finish in Iowa.
