Tuesday marks the second contest for Republicans on their path to the 2024 convention, but New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary may be the last contest with more than one candidate in the running. Former President Donald Trump, after his historic landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses last week, is looking for New Hampshire to finish off his competition in what became a two-person field.
Former Ambassador Nikki Haley, the lone challenger to Trump still in the race, faces tough odds against the president she once served in her post at the United Nations. Most of her former opponents in the primary field — including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — have since thrown their support to Trump. Haley does, however, have the endorsement of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu who won his race in 2022 with 57 percent of the vote.
While the traditional midnight vote in Dixville Notch saw all six residents vote for Haley, the rest of the Granite State's primary voters registered their preferences throughout the day (see below for live results). Most polls in New Hampshire close at 7:00 p.m. while a few close an hour later. It's expected that votes will begin to report out about 15 minutes after polls begin to close, but no race call is expected until after the latest poll-close time of 8:00 p.m.
For Republicans, there are 22 delegates up for grabs in the Granite State. As in Iowa, those will be allocated proportionally.
Notably, New Hampshire allows voters who aren't registered with either party to choose which primary they wish to vote in, meaning it's not just party loyalists who weigh in and independents have a voice. As always, live results will post to the maps below as votes are reported.
Across the aisle, Democrats will also be voting for their presidential candidate of choice. There's just one problem: President Joe Biden isn't on the Granite State's primary ballot and the contest is not recognized by the national party. Biden and the state's Dems can thank the DNC's shakeup of the primary schedule that decided New Hampshire wasn't diverse enough to vote this early in its revamped calendar. As a result, no delegates will be awarded based on the outcome of the Democrat primary.
Still, write-in votes are allowed, meaning results in the Democrat primary could take longer to tally. New Hampshire's secretary of state, however, remained optimistic going into primary day that both parties' results would be finalized by the end of the night.
As always, stay with Townhall through Tuesday evening for live results and as race calls are made by our election results partner Decision Desk HQ, then stay tuned for more news on where the Republican primary stands and what lies ahead on the path to the 2024 Republican National Convention this July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The next states on the calendar are Nevada on February 8 where 26 delegates will be awarded (the same day as the U.S. Virgin Islands primary) and South Carolina little more than one month from now on Saturday, February 24, when 50 delegates are up to grabs.