Is this the final GOP contest? DeSantis leaves. Trump draws nearer. In NH, Haley struggles to survive

Is this the final GOP contest? DeSantis leaves. Trump draws nearer. In NH, Haley struggles to survive

There were formerly fourteen. There are now two.

Well, until Tuesday night.

Former front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, abruptly withdrew his campaign on Sunday and gave his immediate endorsement to the outgoing president, raising the possibility that the newly formed two-person GOP field may soon be reduced to just one.

If Trump wins the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, as some polls suggest he will, following his resounding win over former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in the Iowa caucuses last week, it will be difficult to pinpoint a state or a topic that could prevent him from receiving the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

In a record amount of time, Trump is set to lead the GOP for the third time in as many elections.

Get ready for the polls by using our voter guide to compare the positions of the presidential candidates on important issues.

Trump, welcoming the endorsement, told supporters at his campaign headquarters in New Hampshire that he would shelve the derisive nickname he had coined for his former rival. “Will I be using the name Ron DeSanctimonious?” the former president asked. “I said that name is officially retired.”

Much of the Republican establishment, even some who have resisted Trump’s appeal in the past, now view his nomination as political reality. The entire House Republican leadership has fallen in line behind the former president. So have many of those who once challenged him for the nomination − South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and now DeSantis.

In a video that he uploaded to the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis stated, “It’s evident to me that the majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.” In a final jab at Haley, he endorsed Trump “because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear − a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism − that Nikki Haley represents.”

Haley had once declared she would beat Trump in New Hampshire. Entering the last full day of her campaign, she is already double digits behind him in the Suffolk University/Boston Globe tracking poll (55%–36%), with DeSantis at 6%.

Haley had once declared she would beat Trump in New Hampshire. Entering the last full day of her campaign, she is already double digits behind him in the Suffolk University/Boston Globe tracking poll (55%–36%), with DeSantis at 6%.

Following her declaration, DeSantis pledged to fight for the candidacy in her home state of South Carolina, which has previously elected her governor, in the primary on February 24.

Haley told her fans in New Hampshire, “I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race; he’s been a good governor, and we wish him well.” “Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.”

However, the Palmetto State has turned become Trump country, much like the Republican Party as a whole. According to fivethirtyeight.com averages of South Carolina polls, Trump leads Haley by a wide margin of 60.9% to 24.8%, while DeSantis is trailing in single digits at 8.9%.

However, the Palmetto State has turned become Trump country, much like the Republican Party as a whole. According to fivethirtyeight.com averages of South Carolina polls, Trump leads Haley by a wide margin of 60.9% to 24.8%, while DeSantis is trailing in single digits at 8.9%.

She felt that it was time to move past the “chaos” that has enveloped Trump and that New Hampshire, where independents can vote in the primary, was a more accommodating venue for her case. She desired a one-on-one contest where everyone opposed to him would unite behind her.

The issue is that doing so wouldn’t stop Trump. A fivethirtyeight.com average of national polls indicates that he controls an average of 66.2% of prospective Republican primary voters.

Be ready for a showdown between Biden and Trump.

Before the party conventions in the summer, a rematch between Biden and Trump is still conceivable. After all, in a campaign with 81 and 77-year-old candidates, it will be six and seven months until Republicans gather in Milwaukee and Democrats in Chicago.

Before the party conventions in the summer, a rematch between Biden and Trump is still conceivable. After all, in a campaign with 81 and 77-year-old candidates, it will be six and seven months until Republicans gather in Milwaukee and Democrats in Chicago.

However, if New Hampshire’s results hold true, it is quite likely that a personal tragedy or misfortune, rather than primary voters, caused the upheaval.