Explainer | Can Donald Trump be stopped? Key questions ahead of New Hampshire after Ron DeSantis drops out of 2024 race
- Ron DeSantis’ withdrawal leaves only Nikki Haley standing between Donald Trump and the Republican nomination
- Trump will be aiming to dominate Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, and solidify his grip on the Republican electorate
Donald Trump’s effort to march to the Republican presidential nomination faces perhaps its greatest challenge on Tuesday when voters in New Hampshire hold the first-in-the-nation primary.
The former president enters the contest emboldened by his record-setting performance in last week’s Iowa caucuses.
But New Hampshire has a more moderate political tradition and primary rules that allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the race. Trump-backed MAGA candidates have struggled here in recent years.
Haley, the former UN ambassador and one-time South Carolina governor, is hoping to capitalise on those vulnerabilities, especially now that she is the only major candidate left in the Republican primary aiming to defeat Trump outright.
DeSantis, even before dropping out altogether, had effectively surrendered New Hampshire to focus instead on South Carolina’s February 24 primary. But he did have supporters in New Hampshire who now must decide what to do.