Trump’s Path to Republican Nomination Appears Unstoppable

Following the New Hampshire Republican primary, it seems increasingly likely that former President Donald Trump will secure the party’s presidential nomination.

Trump’s Nomination is Hardly Stoppable

Even though challenger Haley is trying to spin her weak performance as a success, after the primary in New Hampshire, everything points to Trump’s nomination. There are no surprises among the Democrats either.

After an election, there are only winners because each candidate interprets the results in their favor – just like Donald Trump and Nikki Haley in the Republican primary in New Hampshire. The US state is often good for surprises in primaries, but this time the surprise did not happen: Trump received the highest percentage of votes compared to his challenger, Haley.

This shows that the former president is likely to secure the Republican presidential nomination. He dominates the party, and the majority of Republican voters stand behind him, despite the four lawsuits against him with a total of 91 charges. No Republican has ever won both primaries without being crowned as the presidential candidate.

The extent to which Trump controls his party is also evident in the behavior of prominent Republicans. Former challengers like Ron DeSantis or Tim Scott, representatives like Elise Stefanik, or senators like Ted Cruz from Texas have pledged their support to Trump. Even those who previously criticized the former president and were subsequently scorned by Trump below the belt.

And it only took a few hours for Republicans to urge Haley to end her candidacy: it is now time to unite behind Trump, said Mike Johnson, the spokesperson for the House of Representatives. The pressure on Haley will increase in the coming days and weeks from within the party.

Independent voters did not help Haley

The former UN ambassador and former governor of South Carolina congratulated Trump. She presented herself as a fighter in front of her supporters in New Hampshire and emphasized that the race was far from over. She is a fighter. And she highlighted that she managed to receive almost half of the votes. “What a great night,” Haley declared with a bright smile.

However, the result can be interpreted more as a defeat: New Hampshire was the state where Haley’s chances were as good as anywhere else. Because there, her lag in polls was significantly smaller than in other states. She had prominent supporters there, especially New Hampshire’s popular governor Chris Sununu. She poured millions of dollars into her campaign there. Unaffiliated voters were also allowed to vote either in the Democratic or Republican primaries. Haley had hoped for their support. But none of this helped her.

Her supporter Sununu repeatedly stressed that Haley did not have to win New Hampshire. The focus was on the “Super Tuesday” on March 5, when 16 states vote. On that day, more than a third of the Republican delegates will be determined. All of this is true.

But if Haley couldn’t defeat Trump in New Hampshire, it is hardly conceivable that she would win a primary in another state. Even in her home state of South Carolina, where the Republican primary will take place on February 24, things don’t look as promising for her as they did before New Hampshire. And much will depend on her sponsors: if they turn off the money tap, Haley’s campaign will be over, whether she likes it or not.

The Democratic primary – more of a side note

The results of the Democratic primary in New Hampshire seem to be more of a side note. President Joe Biden was not listed as a presidential candidate due to an internal dispute among Democrats about the starting state of the primaries. Instead, there were 21 other candidates on the ballot. Nevertheless, Biden won the election: voters could write his name on the ballot by hand. Anything other than a victory would have been embarrassing for Biden.

Biden’s position as the Democratic candidate is almost certain. With the results in New Hampshire, it has become even more likely: the rematch between Biden and Trump for the presidency, which more than half of Americans do not want.

That is why Trump is resentful if Haley continues to fight: he would rather focus fully on the campaign against Biden. The internal rival can make his life difficult until the Republican nomination convention in July, if she stays in the race until then.