Name: With DeSantis Out, Trump, Haley Will Go Head-to-Head For GOP Nomination
Uploaded: 2024-01-23T02:44:05.000Z
Description: CONCORD, N.H.—Nikki Haley now faces a head-to-head contest with President Donald Trump in New Hampshire’s Republican primary after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s exit from the race.

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Pentagon Scraps Deployment of 4,000 Troops to Poland

9/11 Memorial and Museum Adds 7th Moment of Silence

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Launch Joint Venture to Tackle Dead Zones

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

Trump Committed to US Defense, Prosperity, Amid China Talks: Expert

Jerome Powell Ends Tenure as Fed Chair

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

California Gubernatorial Candidates Make Closing Pitches to Voters 

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Federal Judge Partly Blocks Texas Immigration Law

Trump Announces National Garden of American Heroes Plans

Top Officer: Navy Funding Could Lapse by July

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 15)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 14)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 11)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 5)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 4)

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

CONCORD, N.H.—Nikki Haley now faces a head-to-head contest with President Donald Trump in New Hampshire’s Republican primary after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s exit from the race.

The Jan. 23 contest promises to be a critical test of Ms. Haley’s ability to challenge President Trump’s dominance in the race for the presidential nomination.

“It’s now one fella and one lady left,” Ms. Haley told supporters on Jan. 21, speaking of President Trump and herself. “There were 14 people in this race,” she continued. “All the fellas are out except for this one. And this comes down to, ‘What do you want? Do you want more of the same or do you want something new?'”
<h2>Shifting Momentum</h2>
Ms. Haley enjoyed a surge in New Hampshire polls beginning in late December, though that seems to have softened recently.

A Jan. 15 poll by American Research Group, Inc., showed President Trump and Ms. Haley tied at 40 percent each in the Granite State. Other polls have shown President Trump leading by a double-digit margin.

The most recent polling, released on Jan. 21 by CNN and the University of New Hampshire, showed Mr. Trump leading Ms. Haley by 11 percentage points.

That poll also indicated that 62 percent of likely Republican voters in New Hampshire who named Mr. DeSantis as their first-choice candidate listed Mr. Trump as their second choice. Some 30 percent indicated that Ms. Haley was their second choice.

Mr. DeSantis, who was polling at 6 percent, has endorsed President Trump.

The changing dynamics of the race have caused the Haley campaign to dampen expectations concerning the primary election result.

New Hampshire Gov Chris Sununu, who has campaigned aggressively for Ms. Haley, predicted in December that she would win the race outright.

“It’s an absolute win,” Mr. Sununu said in an ABC News interview on Dec. 17. “She’s going to win in a landslide,” he added.

Mr. Sununu amended that prediction in an interview on “Nightline” on Jan. 17, saying that a strong second-place finish was the goal.

“That’s the only expectation we ever laid out there,” he said. “Now, to the fact that she’s challenging him to actually win the state, something no one in the media ever thought was possible, that gets everybody really excited.”

“I mean, that’s a pretty big hill to climb, to be sure, but it can be done,” he added.
<h2>The Matchup</h2>
President Trump and Ms. Haley have tried to define the election by defining each other.

President Trump has portrayed his opponent as a political lightweight and closet liberal who is aligned with Democratic priorities.

“She is not presidential timber,” President Trump said of Ms. Haley on Jan. 19. “She’s not tough enough. She’s not smart enough,” he added. “She cannot do this job.”

On matters of policy, President Trump portrays Ms. Haley as more in touch with global elites than with everyday Americans.

“Nikki Haley is the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do everything to stop the America First movement. From higher taxes to decimating Social Security and Medicare, and to open borders, she represents the views of Democrats more than the views of Republicans,” President Trump said in a Jan. 21 statement.

Mr. DeSantis fed that narrative when shifting his support to President Trump. “He has my endorsement because we cannot go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear,” Mr. DeSantis said, “a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”

Ms. Haley has described President Trump as too old and ineffective as a leader to be president.

“The majority of Americans think that having two 80-year-olds running for president is not what they want,” Ms. Haley told New Hampshire voters at a recent campaign stop. Ms. Haley is 52. President Trump is 77 and President Biden is 81.

Ms. Haley has also questioned the former president’s mental competency.

“When you see them hit a certain age, there is a decline. That’s a fact. Ask any doctor,” Ms. Haley said on Jan. 20, seeming to refer to comments made by President Trump on Jan. 19. Mr. Trump apparently referred to Ms. Haley multiple times when meaning to mention Nancy Pelosi in connection with the events of Jan. 6.

Ms. Haley’s most consistent criticism of President Trump is that he proved to be an ineffective leader because during his presidency, the country was plunged into chaos.

“What a leader does is they bring out the best in people and get them to see the way forward,” Ms. Haley said in a televised presidential debate on Jan. 10. “That’s what we need in our country. We don’t need this chaos anymore.”

“We can’t go through four more years of chaos,” Ms. Haley later added. “And if it’s Donald Trump, there will be four more years of chaos.”

Perhaps the most significant distinction between the two is the language they use to describe their vision for America. While the two have similar policy positions on matters such as securing the southern border, President Trump often speaks of “America first,” while Ms. Haley refers to a “strong America” or American strength.

That distinction plays out in policy matters such as support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Ms. Haley is an outspoken advocate of continued aid for Ukraine as well as Israel, and for meeting foreign aggression with military strength as the way to preserve peace.

President Trump has cautioned against American involvement in a European war, preferring to put more resources into securing the U.S. border with Mexico rather than the Ukraine border with Russia.
<h2>The Stakes</h2>
When Mr. DeSantis withdrew from the race, he said, “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.”

Though he seemed capable of competing with Ms. Haley, the governor recognized that he was unable to close the 30 percentage-point gap between himself and President Trump. That realization underscores the challenge facing Ms. Haley.

In New Hampshire, Ms. Haley is polling within sight of the former president. Nationally, the situation is different. President Trump is running 54 percentage points ahead of Ms. Haley in national polls. In her home state of South Carolina, the next to hold a primary, the gap is 36 points.

President Trump has upped the stakes in both states by bringing a delegation of Palmetto State Republicans to campaign for him in New Hampshire. The group included Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who spoke on behalf of the former president at a Jan. 21 rally in Manchester.

Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, endorsed President Trump the previous day.

A strong showing in New Hampshire might argue that Ms. Haley is capable of challenging President Trump directly. A poor result here could question her ability to compete even in her home state.

Capping her remarks on Jan. 21 on the “lady” and “fella” still in the race, Ms. Haley said, “May the best woman win.”

President Trump concluded his statement on the state of the race by making this appeal to New Hampshirites:  “It’s time to choose wisely.”

The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary election will be held on Jan. 23.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/with-desantis-out-trump-haley-go-head-to-head-for-gop-nomination-5570480">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Videos

Politics

01_Lead Story

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Management

2024 Elections

02_Second Lead

Lawrence Wilson covers politics for The Epoch Times.

Lawrence Wilson

2024 New Hampshire Primary

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.