MANCHESTER, New Hampshire: Donald Trump cruised to victory in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential contest on Tuesday, marching closer to a November rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden even as his sole remaining rival for the nomination, Nikki Haley, vowed to soldier on.
At his own party in Nashua, Trump, 77, opened his speech by mocking Haley, 52, calling her an “imposter” and saying: “She’s doing, like, a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost … She had a very bad night.”
The former president’s remarks followed a series of angry posts on his Truth Social app, denouncing her as “DELUSIONAL.”
The next competitive contest is scheduled for Feb. 24 in South Carolina, where Haley was born and served two terms as governor.
Trump has racked up endorsements from most of the state’s Republican figures, and opinion polls show him with a wide lead there.
In New Hampshire, with 86% of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research, Trump held a comfortable 54.4% to 43.5% lead.
Haley had hoped the northeastern state’s sizable cadre of independent voters would carry her to an upset win that might loosen Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party.
Instead, Trump became the first Republican to sweep competitive votes in both Iowa and New Hampshire since 1976, when the two states cemented their status as the first nominating contests.
The result will likely bolster some Republicans’ calls for Haley to drop out so the party can coalesce behind Trump.
Her campaign vowed in a memo earlier on Tuesday to push forward until “Super Tuesday” on March 5, when Republicans in 15 states and one territory vote.
