Donald Trump Wins New Hampshire Primary, AP Projects

Former President Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire Republican primary election, according to projections from the Associated Press.

With 54.3 percent, Trump defeated former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who received 44.7 percent, according to AP projections. Polls in New Hampshire closed at 8 p.m. and the race was called at minutes later.

Trump has long been the GOP front-runner in the polls, which also suggested that he would have no issue winning last week’s Iowa caucuses, where he was the overwhelming victor. While New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary was expected to be a closer race, Trump was still predicted to come out on top.

In an exit poll conducted by CNN that asked Republican voters in New Hampshire whether they identified as part of the MAGA movement, a majority said they did not, with 64 percent responding no, opposed to 32 percent voting yes.

Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under the Trump administration and is also a former governor of South Carolina, has argued she is better suited to beat President Joe Biden in a general election. She has pointed to the MAGA leader’s defeat in the 2020 election, as well as Republican losses in recent years, as to why the party needs new leadership.

Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday night to representatives of Trump and Haley for comment.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump complained about New Hampshire’s primary process, in which undeclared voters can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot.

“SO RIDICULOUS THAT DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, ESPECIALLY SINCE CROOKED JOE BIDEN HAS ABANDONED NEW HAMPSHIRE—BUT WORD IS WE ARE DOING REALLY WELL,” Trump said in the post.

In Iowa on January 15, Trump secured a historic win, the largest margin of any non-incumbent in the modern era. In his victory speech, the normally divisive MAGA leader called for unity after declining to attack his primary opponents.

The former president amassed 51 percent of the GOP vote, 30 points ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who placed second with 21 percent. Haley came in third with 19 percent. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy came in fourth, earning nearly 8 percent and quickly dropped out of the race. DeSantis suspended his campaign a few days later, leaving Haley as Trump’s only major Republican challenger days before the New Hampshire primary.

Iowa had been billed as a crucial test for the former president. The results are often seen as a key indicator of who will make the final fight for the White House.

Earlier Tuesday, Haley celebrated news of her victory in the tiny community of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, in midnight voting, calling it “a great start to a great day in New Hampshire” in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

Haley, who experienced a surge in momentum in recent weeks, needed a strong showing in New Hampshire to keep her presidential hopes alive.

The next primary will be in her home state of South Carolina on February 3.