Following months of heavy campaigning by multiple candidates, the 2024 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary saw former President Donald Trump capture 54.5% of the vote to beat former Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., who received 44.5% of votes, the Associated Press projects as of press time. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden won the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary as a write-in candidate, fending off a challenge from Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Votes are still coming in from across the state, with 61% of total votes counted.
As of 8 p.m., when the last polls in the state closed, results from 25 townships in New Hampshire showed Trump leading by a “comfortable margin” in the Republican primary, the AP reported.
In Hanover, Haley won 1487 votes, or 86.3% of the total counted votes, while Trump won 228 votes or 13.2%. In Lebanon, Haley won 1121 votes, or 62.5% of the total counted votes, while Trump won 657 votes or 36.6% of the total counted votes. Despite her victory in Hanover, the AP noted that Haley only led in early returns in the most Democratic-leaning cities and towns, such as Keene and Portsmouth.
Hanover polls reported 1541 unprocessed write-in votes, or 86.0% of the total vote count in the Democratic primary. Lebanon polls reported 1404 unprocessed write-in votes, or 82.3% of the total vote count. Write-in votes heavily favor Biden. Phillips garnered 196 votes, or 10.9% and 258 votes, or 15.1% of the total counted votes in Hanover and Lebanon, respectively.
According to previous reporting from The Dartmouth, the state refused to comply with the Democratic National Convention’s decision to hold the first Democratic primary in South Carolina. When New Hampshire officials decided to hold their primary ahead of South Carolina, Biden removed himself from the ballot. As a result, a write-in campaign emerged to elect Biden.
Trump came off a significant victory by 30% in Iowa’s lead-off caucuses, helping his chances of securing the Republican presidential nomination in a face-off against incumbent President Joe Biden, according to the AP. Following the Iowa caucus, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-F.L., and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspended their campaigns after finishing second and fourth place, respectively.
In a speech in Nashua, N.H., Trump addressed supporters while Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., stood behind him. Trump touted his victory and taunted Haley.
“Who the hell was the impostor that went up on the stage that went before and claimed victory?” Trump said, according to the New York Times. “She did very poorly, actually.”
Talking to supporters in Concord, N.H., Haley congratulated Trump’s victory but stated that “the race is not over,” according to Politico.
“New Hampshire is first in the nation —, it is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over,” Haley said. “There are dozens of states left to go.”
On Dec. 12, Gov. Chris Sununu, R- N.H., endorsed Haley at a town hall in Manchester, N.H. Over the past few weeks, Sununu has appeared at nearly every event with Haley. Before polling closed, he emphasized that success in New Hampshire is not the same as a presidential victory.
“No one has ever said Nikki Haley has to win the New Hampshire ticket,” Sununu told NBC News.
