EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ, CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP
Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are now the only candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for the 2024 US presidential election.
UNITED STATES – The announcement shook them up. Shortly after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was abandoned in the race for the Republican nomination this Sunday, January 21, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley appeared more combative than ever. When it comes to a duel between him and former President Donald Trump, he has little time left to convince.
In Seabrook, New Hampshire, the next state to vote in the primary on Tuesday, January 23, Nikki Haley congratulated her former rival: “He had a great campaign, he was a good governor and we wish him well. “ Words a thousand miles removed from those spoken in recent weeks as the two candidates waged a bitter battle for second place.
Because when Donald Trump largely dominates the polls, Haley and DeSantis have fought hard to be the alternative to the president, who has been indicted in several lawsuits. And surprise in Iowa, the first state to vote on Monday, January 15: While Nikki Haley had a good wind in the polls, she came in third place with 19% of the vote, while 21% for DeSantis and more than 50% voted for DeSantis Trump.
“May the best woman win!” »
Except Ron DeSantis, once considered the only one who could beat the former president, led a disastrous ultra-conservative campaign that never really gained traction. Knowing that he had no chance, he gave up the race before the New Hampshire primary, where he received less than 10% of the vote.
A stroke of luck for Nikki Haley, who has always dreamed of a duel against Trump. “Fourteen people took part in this race. There were a lot of men, all the men gave up except (Trump),” the former South Carolina governor announced to her supporters. She forgets about Ryan Binkley, an invisible candidate who has no chance of winning the nomination but is officially still in the race. She continues: “Now there is one man and one woman left. What do you want ? Do you want the same thing or do you want something new? (…) Let the best win! »
But 48 hours before the New Hampshire primary, the challenge promises to be difficult. Donald Trump's uncontested victory in Iowa has given him new strength. As Nikki Haley got closer and closer to the real estate mogul, the machine stalled. According to a Suffolk University/NBC10 Boston poll released this Sunday, Trump has gained two points compared to the previous day. He is now credited with 55% of voting intentions, compared to 36% for Haley, who is stagnant.
Eyes on South Carolina
Poll aggregator website FiveThirtyEight also shows that although Nikki Haley has made a good comeback since this summer and even more so since the beginning of January, she is still far from her rival. And that didn't get any better, because after his departure, DeSantis called for people to vote for the former president. There remains one hope: winning over the Florida governor's anti-Trump voters… But how many are there?
FiveTirthyEight
New Hampshire primary election poll as of January 21, 2024.
DeSantis’ waiver “is really a boost for Haley. She predicted it two weeks ago, and now that all the disruptive elements are gone, she has a huge chance,” Republican MP Chris Wooten believes in an interview with NBC. Senator Tom Davis tells the same station that Nikki Haley can now truly differentiate herself from the man who appointed her to the UN. He also believes the February 24 South Carolina primary will serve as a “referendum” for the Republican Party.
Since the start of her campaign, Nikki Haley has actually set her sights on the state she led between 2011 and 2017, hoping for a new surge that would finally allow her to unseat Donald Trump. Given the billionaire's significant lead (60% voting intentions versus 28%), the effort appears futile at this point.
Before he gets to South Carolina, he still needs to achieve an honorable result in New Hampshire to stay in the race. In any case, Nikki Haley doesn't want to give up: “We still have two days until the vote in New Hampshire. We will fight until the end, until the last second. »
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