Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have won the New Hampshire primaries.
The former president clinched his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination after knocking out the rest of the field with a commanding win in Iowa. GOP rival Nikki Haley, meanwhile, came up short in her effort to capitalize on her strength with independent and anti-Trump voters eager for a fresh voice to lead the party.
Biden prevailed even though he wasn’t on the ballot. His supporters mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf to avoid a loss, even though the contest awards no delegates because it violates the national party rules he pushed for.
What to know
Can Trump be stopped? Key questions after DeSantis drops out of race
Trump seeks control of the GOP primary in New Hampshire against Haley
Haley sweeps Dixville Notch’s primary, winning all 6 votes
What to expect in the New Hampshire primary
Who’s running for president? Here are the major 2024 candidates
Why the AP called New Hampshire’s Democratic primary for Biden
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press declared Biden the winner of New Hampshire’s Democratic primary based on an analysis of initial vote returns where write-in votes have been tabulated by candidate.
The early returns confirm the findings of AP’s VoteCast survey of likely Democratic primary voters, which found an overwhelming majority of write-in voters supporting the incumbent president. Together, they show that Biden has an insurmountable lead over the rest of the Democratic field.
Biden decided not to put his name on the New Hampshire ballot, since the state’s primary violates Democratic Party rules. It was Biden’s idea to bump the state from its prized first-in-the-nation primary calendar slot in favor of South Carolina, which resuscitated his struggling campaign in 2020. Instead, his supporters are backing him as a write-in candidate.
The VoteCast survey asked likely voters if they would support U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson or someone else. Of those who said they support someone else, nearly all indicated they would write in Biden.
As of 8:09 p.m., Phillips and Williamson were at 21% and 5% of the tabulated vote, respectively, and AP’s analysis shows that there are no scenarios for either to end up the winner.
Haley finishes as runner-up to Trump in New Hampshire
WASHINGTON — Haley has finished second in New Hampshire to Trump, a setback in her effort to reset the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, who invested significant time and financial resources in the state, ramped up her criticism of Trump after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race and she became the sole GOP alternative to him. But the appeal ultimately failed to resonate with enough voters, and she’s in a weakened position heading into a primary in her home state.
Biden wins New Hampshire Democratic primary as a write-in candidate
WASHINGTON — Biden won New Hampshire’s largely symbolic Democratic primary, prevailing in an unusual write-in effort after he refused to campaign or appear on the ballot in the state.
Biden easily bested two longshot challengers, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who were on the ballot along with a host of little-known names. His victory in a race he was not formally contesting essentially cements Biden’s grasp on the Democratic nomination for a second term.
Why the AP called New Hampshire’s Republican primary for Trump
WASHINGTON — The Associated Press declared Trump the winner based on an analysis of initial vote returns as well as the results of AP VoteCast, a survey of Republican primary voters. Both indicated Trump was running ahead of Haley by an insurmountable margin.
Initial results from more than 25 townships showed Trump leading by a comfortable margin as of 8 p.m. This includes results from Manchester and Concord, two of the state’s three most-populous cities. Early returns were also reported from more rural areas in the northern and eastern parts of the state. All confirmed the findings of AP’s survey.
The only areas in which Haley was leading Trump in early returns were in the state’s most Democratic-leaning cities and towns, such as Concord, Keene and Portsmouth.
VoteCast showed Trump leading Haley by a substantial margin across all regions of the state. It also showed Haley supported by a majority of unaffiliated voters choosing to cast their ballot in the Republican primary. That wasn’t enough to make up for Trump’s nearly 50-point lead among registered Republicans. New Hampshire allows voters not affiliated with a political party to participate in either party’s primary. Voters registered with a party may only vote in their own party’s primary.
New Hampshire’s 22 delegates will be allocated proportionally among candidates who receive at least 10% of the vote statewide.
Trump wins New Hampshire’s Republican primary
WASHINGTON — Trump has won New Hampshire’s GOP primary, delivering a setback to rival Haley, who is running out of time to establish herself as a viable alternative to him.
It was his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He won Iowa’s leadoff caucuses by 30 percentage points.
Biden allies, meanwhile, are hoping their write-in campaign on the Democratic side is successful. Polls closed statewide at 8 p.m.
Also at Trump’s victory party? George Santos
NASHUA, N.H. — Among those attending Trump’s election night party at the Nashua Sheraton: former New York congressman George Santos.
“I am a Trump supporter. There’s, like, a lot of surprise to see me here. You’re going to see me at a lot more of these,” Santos told The Associated Press.
Asked if he was planning to have any formal role as a surrogate, he said he wasn’t. “I’m just having fun!”
Earlier in the day, Santos appeared for a brief hearing in federal court on Long Island ahead of his criminal fraud trial, which is slated for later this year. He said he doesn’t plan to vote in next month’s special election to fill his now vacant seat in Congress.
Polls are beginning to close in New Hampshire
Polls are beginning to close in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primaries. Polls in most of the state closed at 7 p.m. ET and some close at 7:30 p.m. The last polls in the state close at 8 p.m.
And in tiny Dixville Notch, which has only a handful of residents, polls opened at midnight and closed a few minutes later after all voters cast a ballot.
Two White House aides are moving over to Biden’s reelection campaign
WASHINGTON — Biden is dispatching two of his senior-most White House advisers to his reelection campaign in Delaware as his focus shifts to the general election in November.
The new roles for deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and senior adviser Mike Donilon had been expected, and campaign aides insisted it was not a sign of a broader shakeup. The campaign said Donilon would focus on advertising and strategy, while O’Malley Dillon would work on organizing and the electoral mechanics.
Trump’s lawyer and his co-defendant are among the guests at his election night party
NASHUA, N.H. — Trump’s legal, political and personal worlds are colliding at Trump’s election night party.
His son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, lawyer Alina Habba and valet Walt Nauta were among the figures from Trump’s orbit wandering around the Nashua hotel hours before Trump was set to take the stage.
Habba has been representing Trump in several of the legal cases he faces, including his civil fraud trial in New York and civil sex abuse and defamation trial.
Nauta was Trump’s valet at the White House before joining him as a personal aide at Mar-a-Lago. He was charged along with Trump in a federal case over the mishandling of classified documents. Nauta has pleaded not guilty to charges that he helped the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities. He has remained by Trump’s side as he campaigns and attends court hearings for his various legal cases.
Trump is responsible for taking away freedom, Biden tells abortion rights supporters
MANASSAS, Va. — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are looking toward a general election matchup against Trump as they rally for abortion rights in Virginia.
“He’s betting we won’t hold him responsible,” Biden said to a crowd of hundreds of cheering supporters, referring to Trump’s Supreme Court nominees who paved the way for overturning Roe v. Wade. “He’s betting you’re going to stop caring.”
“But guess what?” he added. “I’m betting he’s wrong. I’m betting you won’t forget.”
The rally came the same day that New Hampshire voters were heading to the polls for the first-in-the-nation primary. In a reflection of the importance that Democrats are putting on abortion this year, Biden and Harris were joined by their spouses — the first time the four of them have appeared together since the 2024 campaign began.
“The person most responsible for taking away this freedom in America is Donald Trump,” he said.
Biden gets mixed reviews on top issues from New Hampshire Democrats
WASHINGTON — More than 8 in 10 approve of his economic leadership, according to AP VoteCast. And around 8 in 10 approve of how he’s handling the student debt issue. About 6 in 10 approve of his approach to immigration. When it comes to the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, however, only about half approve.
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,890 New Hampshire voters who were taking part in the Republican primary and 873 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
About half of New Hampshire Republicans have concerns that Trump is too extreme
WASHINGTON — About half of GOP voters are very or somewhat concerned that Trump is too extreme to win the general election, according to AP VoteCast. Only about one-third say the same about Haley.
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,890 New Hampshire voters who were taking part in the Republican primary and 873 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
More New Hampshire Republicans see immigration as the country’s top issue over the economy
WASHINGTON — About 4 in 10 Republican voters identify immigration as the most important issue facing the U.S. By contrast, 3 in 10 Republican voters say the economy is their priority, according to AP VoteCast.
About 7 in 10 say immigrants do more to hurt the country than help it. And 8 in 10 favor building a wall along the southern border.
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,890 New Hampshire voters who were taking part in the Republican primary and 873 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
New Hampshire’s unaffiliated voters make for a different electorate than Iowa’s caucuses
WASHINGTON — The participation of undeclared voters in New Hampshire means that the candidates are facing a different electorate than they did in Iowa last week. More than 4 in 10 GOP primary voters are not affiliated with a party, compared with about 2 in 10 in the Democratic primary, according to AP VoteCast.
AP VoteCast is a survey of more than 1,890 New Hampshire voters who were taking part in the Republican primary and 873 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Dean Phillips shakes hands at voting site
DERRY, N.H. — Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips was spotted earlier in the day shaking the hands of poll workers and voters at a school gymnasium in Derry.
The Minnesota congressman entered the race in October in an event outside New Hampshire’s statehouse, saying, “It is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders.”
Phillips is highly unlikely to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination away from Biden, even if the president suffers an embarrassing loss Tuesday in a state where he’s not even on the ballot. Still, his run offers a symbolic challenge to national Democrats trying to project the idea that there is no reason to doubt the president’s electability.
Self-help author Marianne Williamson is also seeking the Democratic nomination.
Trump forecasts a ‘big loss’ for Haley in New Hampshire
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — Trump is predicting that Haley will likely have a “big loss” in New Hampshire.
Speaking at a polling site Tuesday afternoon, Trump insisted Haley wasn’t a threat to his campaign and said she is free to continue challenging him for the GOP nomination.
“I don’t care if she stays in. Let her do whatever she wants,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”
He said he wouldn’t comment on whether he’d spoken to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and whether he would consider him as his running mate. “I just can’t comment on that,” he said.
Democratic voter says he’s ‘absolutely’ excited to support Biden
BOW, N.H. — Democrat Durwood Sargent, 79, cast a write-in vote for Biden on Tuesday and said he’d be excited to support him in the general election.
He said he wasn’t offended that the president kept his name off the ballot to comply with the Democratic National Committee’s new primary calendar that bumped New Hampshire from its first-in-the-nation spot.
“It’s not a big deal. They’ve made a big deal out of it. The president’s got a country to run,” he said.
Sargent said he’s “absolutely” excited to support Biden if he’s the nominee in November.
“He’s done tremendous stuff for this country,” he said. “In particular, he’s the first president to stand with striking workers.”
Voter says Haley is ‘much closer to the middle’ than others
BOW, N.H. — Linda Kelly, 46, an independent voter and stay-at-home mom, said she voted for Haley.
“I’m not far left or far right. She’s a little bit to the right, but much closer to the middle than any of the other choices,” she said outside a community center.
Kelly sighed heavily when asked who she would support if the general election is a rematch between Trump and Biden.
“I don’t like either of the choices. I probably would lean to Trump just because the economy was better (when he was in office),” she said.
No major voting issues so far, New Hampshire election office says
CONCORD, N.H. — Voting across the state was going smoothly with steady turnout into the early afternoon, according to Secretary of State spokesperson Anna Sventek.
Assistant Attorney General Brendan O’Donnell, head of the department’s Election Law Unit, agreed, saying it was a “great morning” with “no major issues.”
O’Donnell said his office was dealing with “typical complaints” from some voters who were affiliated with one party and wanted to vote in the other party’s primary. Such complaints come in every year, he said. Registered Democrats or Republicans who wanted to switch their party affiliation for this election would have had to do so by a deadline in October.
There were also some isolated issues with accessible voting machines and electioneering in polling locations that were being resolved, he said.
New Hampshire weather a vast improvement over Iowa’s
CONCORD, N.H. — The weather for New Hampshire’s primary has been much kinder to voters than the record-setting cold last week for Iowa’s caucuses.
Temperatures in New Hampshire on Tuesday started out in the low 20s and reached 30s by early afternoon, much warmer than the last few days when temperatures struggled to get out of the teens. Some light snow was possible Tuesday night, around the time that polls close.
Iowa’s Jan. 15 vote was the lowest-turnout caucuses in a quarter-century. The high temperature in the capital city, Des Moines, that day was 1 degree Fahrenheit, with the temperature falling to minus-17 by sundown.
Haley vows to stay in the race even if Trump wins New Hampshire
HAMPTON, N.H. — Haley is vowing to stay in the race even if Trump wins New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation GOP primary.
The former U.N. ambassador has focused considerable resources in New Hampshire, hoping to capitalize on the state’s independent streak as she looks for an upset or at least a tight loss that could dent Trump’s continued domination of Republican politics.
“I’m running against Donald Trump, and I’m not going to talk about an obituary,” Haley told reporters at a polling site in Hampton.
Regardless of how New Hampshire goes, she says, she plans to be in the race for South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary.
“This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint,” she said.
Republican hopes Trump chooses better White House advisers next time
HAMPTON, N.H. — Pat Sheridan, a Republican from Hampton, said he voted for Trump “because he did a really good job the first time.”
“We need a businessman, not bureaucrats,” said Sheridan, a 63-year-old engineer.
He said the most important issue to him was the economy. “Everything‘s just really bad right now,” he said.
If Trump returns to the White House, Sheridan hopes he will be more careful about choosing his Cabinet members and should bring in better advisers.
“I think he listened to a lot of people he shouldn’t have listened to,” he said.
81-year-old voter says 81-year-old Biden is too old
HAMPTON, N.H. — Independent voter Betsey Davis, an 81-year-old who described herself as “ancient,” said she voted for Dean Phillips in the Democratic primary.
Davis, who supports abortion rights and the “freedom to be,” said she would vote for Biden if he faces Trump again in the general election, but she’s not excited about it.
“I think he’s too old,” she said, noting that they were the same age. “He may be a nice man, but nice doesn’t really count in politics.”
Asked what Biden would need to do to earn her enthusiastic vote in November, she said, “I’d like him to be stronger, much stronger. I’d like him to be able to get both parties together.”
Independent voter supports Haley, thinks Biden is too old
HAMPTON, N.H. — Laurie Dufour was surprised to see Haley, her favored candidate, show up at her polling place on Tuesday morning.
Dufour, 66, said she is an independent who tends to vote for Democrats but likes Haley.
“I did not want Trump, and she just sounded very knowledgeable,” she said. However, she noted that she supports abortion rights and “almost didn’t vote for her” because of that.
Dufour said she would vote for Biden “in a heartbeat” over Trump in a general election but wishes he would consider stepping down.
“Mostly, I just think he’s too old. It’s sad — when I watch him, I could cry. It’s like watching your grandfather, you know?” Dufour said. “I think it’s time for him to let go.”
Haley says Dixville Notch sweep gives her momentum
HAMPTON, N.H. — Haley says her sweep of tiny Dixville Notch is a good start that gives her campaign momentum heading into the day.
“Right now we’ll take whatever we can take,” Haley told reporters while visiting a polling place in Hampton on Tuesday morning. She said she was grateful for the six registered voters in the resort town who turned out to vote for her.
Haley also vowed to continue with her campaign even if she doesn’t have a good night in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
“We’re going to South Carolina. We have put in the ad buy. We are there. This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint. We wanted to be strong in Iowa. We wanted to be stronger than that in New Hampshire. We’re going to be even stronger than that in South Carolina,” she said.
Polls are opening in the first-in-the-nation primary state
CONCORD, N.H. — Polls are beginning to open across much of New Hampshire as the state’s famously independent-minded electorate makes its pick for the 2024 presidential nominees.
In the first results released early Tuesday, all six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch cast their ballots for Haley over Trump. The resort town is the only one in New Hampshire this year that opted to vote at midnight.
The Democratic side is different, though. The Democratic National Committee revamped the voting calendar to put South Carolina first, but New Hampshire Democrats defied the new order and opted to hold their primary Tuesday, as well. Biden’s name isn’t on the ballot as a result, but his allies are mounting a write-in campaign for him.
