The US election circus descends on New Hampshire on Tuesday. That’s where the Democratic Party kicks off the election year. Meanwhile, a conflict has erupted among Republicans between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. You can read about how exciting it can be here.
With presidential elections coming up in November, primaries are held in all US states. This will make it clear who the Democrats and Republicans are putting forward as their presidential nominee.
Trump and Haley are now running against each other because the other main candidate, Ron DeSantis, dropped out of Sunday’s nomination. Despite a second-place finish in Iowa, Florida’s governor didn’t see enough opportunities for himself. He later announced his support for Trump.
The battle between Trump and Haley puts an additional charge on existing special primaries in the northeastern state of New Hampshire.
‘New Hampshire is a state where surprises are possible’
“New Hampshire has the image of a state where surprises are possible,” says American expert and author Willem Post. America’s soul, democracy, is in shambles. “Free-minded people live there and they take their responsibility as voters very seriously.”
Residents of the American hamlet of Dixville Notch cast their first ballots at midnight in their state’s Republican primary elections. The small town has been voting at midnight for decades.
According to the Post, voters in New Hampshire consider it important to see their candidates on the street or meet them at a convenience store. “They expect a lot from the candidates,” the American expert tells NU.nl. So Haley had a beer at the pub and joined the diners at the restaurant.
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Trump didn’t do that, but he’s still on his way to victory in New Hampshire. “Many Republicans are under Trump’s spell. Additionally, DeSantis’ supporters will now support Trump,” the Post predicts. Trump’s political gunfire, which first targeted DeSantis, is now hitting Haley.
It’s no coincidence that Tim Scott, the governor of Hawley’s home state of South Carolina, announced his support for the former president ahead of Trump in New Hampshire.
“Yes, New Hampshire has been able to surprise us before, but it’s unlikely Haley will get a spectacular finish here this time,” Post concludes.
The name ‘Biden’ is not on the ballot paper
What else is so special about New Hampshire Primary? The state organizes the first ‘real’ primaries of the election year (see box below).
In New Hampshire, both Republicans and Democrats are holding primaries. Another important difference with Iowa is that in New Hampshire unregistered voters can participate, either with Republicans or Democrats.
Maar er was toch al een voorverkiezing in Iowa?
- Op 15 januari werd er weliswaar door Republikeinen al gestemd in Iowa, maar dat was onderdeel van een zogenoemde ‘caucus’. Zo’n caucus is een partijbijeenkomst.
- Tijdens een caucus brengen alleen kiezers die bij een partij geregistreerd staan hun stem uit. Dat doen ze na discussies onderling en bovendien in het openbaar en dus niet in een stemhokje.
Another notable fact is that President Joe Biden’s name is not on the Democratic ballot. This is due to a dispute over the order of primary exams. Voters can enter Biden’s name in the blank box. Republican voters can also put a name other than Trump or Haley on their ballot.
Although New Hampshire came first for Democrats, these primaries weren’t very interesting for them. Not only is Biden not participating, but the chances of Biden’s challengers are zero.
There is also one to get the second
Even with Trump’s huge lead in New Hampshire, Haley still has some catching up to do. It works like this: For nomination of candidate, the number is taken into account representatives (Electoral votes) candidate is behind him.
Each state has a limited number of electoral votes. How much you get if you win in that state depends on distribution.
In most states, the winner of the primary immediately receives all the electoral votes. But Iowa and New Hampshire use proportional distribution. Thanks to his victory in Iowa, Trump now has 20. Haley has 7 with his third place. 22 electoral votes are split in New Hampshire.
0:40US presidential candidate Nikki Haley has attacked Trump on the grounds of age
Chance for candidate Haley
So Haley might survive for a while. And since the next primaries are on February 8th in Nevada. Like New Hampshire, it is a less conservative state than Iowa. As a result, a more moderate candidate may have (smaller) chances.
On February 24, it was South Carolina’s turn. Trump is expected to be very strong there, but Haley still enjoys some fame and popularity there thanks to her time as governor of the state.
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