Ahead of the New Hampshire primaries, the Republican presidential race is now a two-person contest between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.
Haley is facing her former boss in an electoral battle that many believe Trump is going to win as contenders Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race. The Florida governor announced his exit on Sunday and paved the way for Donald Trump to inch one step closer to becoming the official Republican Party candidate for the US elections.
With the New Hampshire primaries less than 48 hours away, Trump thanked Ramaswamy and DeSantis for endorsing him. “Vivek just came with us. And now Ron just came with us. They’re all coming with us,” Trump said.
Haley, the former US envoy to the UN and former governor of South Carolina, also appeared to celebrate the news. “It’s now one fella and one lady left. For now, I’ll leave you with this: May the best woman win,” Haley said. Both Trump and Haley are in New Hampshire campaigning ahead of the primaries.
It remains to be seen now whether or not DeSantis’ departure leads his supporters to back Nikki Haley or not. Haley and Trump are both locked in a intense battle in New Hampshire and Haley is hoping that independents will back her as Trump has a significant lead in polls there.
Haley tried to get support even from Trump backers in the state as she aimed not to isolate them for backing the former president.
“(I am) a conservative that knows how to talk to moderates and independents and not make them feel bad, but make them feel included. Show me where I’m moderate, because I’m not,” she said, according to a report by the Associated Press.
A CNN/University of New Hampshire poll released Sunday found that a majority of registered Republicans likely to vote in the primary — 67% — said they planned to vote for Trump. But a majority of those registered as undeclared — 58% — said they support Haley.
The poll, taken Tuesday through Friday, also found more registered Republicans in the state view Haley unfavourably (47%) than favorably (31%). Trump, meanwhile is viewed favourably by 76% of registered Republicans and unfavourably by just 16%.
(with inputs from the New York Times, CNN and AFP)
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