Results Stream In as Trump and Haley Face Off in Key Contest

Town by town, New Hampshire is counting and reporting results in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary election, with most polls closed and Republican voters set to deliver their verdict on whether to remain united around former President Donald Trump.

Rather than serving to winnow the field or elevate long-shot candidates, as has long been the role of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, the 2024 contest had already narrowed to two viable candidates by the time polls opened Tuesday: Trump and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who stood as the last vessel for anti-Trump forces to block him from the party’s nomination.

Primary Day in New Hampshire has resembled the last week of campaigning in the state. Haley raced around to visit four polling locations by late afternoon, while Trump, with double-digit leads in the final public polls, made a single appearance to greet voters in Londonderry. Meanwhile, big-name surrogates and potential vice-presidential aspirants like Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stumped for him.

On the Democratic side, the primary election carried less drama and lower stakes.

Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota barnstormed New Hampshire polling sites in his long-shot quest against President Joe Biden, who has a large lead in polls despite not being on the ballot in the state.

Biden’s local supporters, who organized a homegrown effort to push Democrats to write his name in on their ballots, also congregated outside precincts to show their support for the president — even though he pushed to rescind New Hampshire’s long-held and locally cherished position at the front of the presidential nominating calendar.

The race for the Republican nomination has narrowed to Trump, who faces 91 felony charges and is dominating in national polls, and Haley, who needs a strong result to stay afloat. Because New Hampshire allows independent voters — who often make up roughly 40% of the electorate — to participate in either party’s primary, the state is seen as Haley’s best chance for an upset victory over Trump.

Haley’s campaign released a memo Tuesday that sought to blunt the sense of inevitability around the former president. “We aren’t going anywhere,” her campaign manager said.

But Trump told reporters at the Londonderry polling place, “I’m very confident.”

Here’s what else to know:

Republicans’ predictions of high turnout appear to be on the mark. David Scanlan, the New Hampshire secretary of state, said during an interview on CNN that turnout was high and that some towns had requested more ballots throughout the day. He said turnout might exceed his prediction of 322,000 votes in the Republican primary. High turnout would be a change from Iowa, where the showing for the Republican caucuses last week was anemic.

— Proceedings in E. Jean Carroll’s civil defamation case against Trump were delayed until Thursday because of a juror’s illness. Trump may testify when the trial resumes.

— Biden is set to dispatch Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, one of his top aides in the White House, to take control of his reelection campaign. His current campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, is expected to retain her title.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.