New Hampshire primary live: Trump tops Haley, and Biden wins

Biden delivered victory by way of the write-in

Joe Biden is the winner of the New Hampshire Democratic primary – whether he wants it or not.

After a monthslong attempt by two candidates to topple the president in the Granite State, and Biden’s own decision to spurn the primary, Biden rode a wave of write-in votes Tuesday to solidify his earliest – if least official – victory. Biden handily defeated his closest competitors, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson, according to projections from the Associated Press Tuesday night.

The Democratic primary took an unusual twist when Biden declined to file his name on the New Hampshire Democratic ballot in October, citing a dispute between the state and the Democratic National Committee over the presidential nominating order. The DNC had approved a calendar in February that allowed South Carolina to vote first and New Hampshire to vote on the same day as Nevada; after New Hampshire officials rejected the plan, Biden chose not to participate in New Hampshire’s race.

Phillips and Williamson had tried to capitalize on Biden’s rejection of the primary, spending significant time in the state in the final weeks of the campaign. But New Hampshire-based supporters of Biden had organized a write-in campaign to elect him even without his cooperation, and a wave of surrogates including Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, Massachusetts Lt. Gov.  Kim Driscoll, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu fanned out to make the case for writing in Biden.

In the final weeks, the Biden administration also sent a number of cabinet officials to the state, who are prohibited from official campaign activities by the Hatch Act. Those included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; each of the officials was there on official business not directly related to the Biden re-election effort.

Trump wins New Hampshire primary

Donald Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary Tuesday, capping off a primary season that saw numerous Republican heavyweights struggle to dislodge his enduring support. The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m, an hour after most polls in the state had finished. AP also called the Democratic primary for President Joe Biden.

Trump drew on the strength of a dedicated Republican base that preferred to return his presidential style to office than topple him with an alternative. As he had in previous primaries, the former real estate mogul blanketed the state in large-scale rallies, avoiding the retail politics that have long defined the primary. His opponents, particularly Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, invested time in town halls and small venue visits like diners and restaurants.

Around the time of the call by the Associated Press, Haley was trailing Trump by about six percentage points. Haley had received an endorsement from Gov. Chris Sununu, who toured the state attending nearly every event of hers in the weeks ahead of the primary.

In Concord Tuesday night, Haley congratulated Trump on his win, saying he “earned” it. But, she added, “New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last. This race is far from over.”

Pictures from the polls: Portsmouth, New Boston, Manchester, Hampton

Calm before the storm at Haley primary night party

Doors haven’t opened to the public yet for Nikki Haley’s primary night watch party, but the media risers are filling with TV crews from around the country. 

Haley is not expected to arrive at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord until at least 8 p.m., after all polls have closed. The number of journalists following Haley has grown considerably this week, following Sunday’s announcement from Ron DeSantis that he’s suspended his campaign.

Polling: Biden isn’t the choice of younger voters

Despite not being on the ballot, as his own doing, President Joe Biden is expected to win the Democratic primary in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary thanks to a write-in campaign. He’s got problems with younger voters, though.

In a CNN poll released Sunday, just 6 percent of the youngest respondents, ages 18-34, said they’d be “enthusiastic” to see Biden become the nominee. He did better with the next age group; still, only 23 percent of voters 35-49 described themselves as enthusiastic. 

Still, there’s good news for Biden in the CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Respondents were even less excited to see the other Democratic choices, Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, as the nominee. 

Phillips sounded like a Democrat in search of a new party during a stop in Manchester Thursday.

“We need competition. I’m a proud Democrat telling all of you we need competition,” Phillips said. “I think primaries are good. I think both political parties need competition. … I think there’s nothing more un-American than protecting, enabling, and allowing two political parties that are private enterprises from seizing this country from all of us.”

When will we have results?

Polls in New Hampshire close between 7 and 8 p.m., and then vote tallying begins. Results from the Republican primary are slated to be known first. Because of the write-in campaign for President Joe Biden, results from the Democratic primary are likely to go later into the night.

Based on guidance from the state, it’s likely we’ll learn of the Republican winner first, as towns and cities don’t have to wait for results in both races.

In a joint memorandum this month from the Attorney General’s Office and Secretary of State’s Office to New Hampshire election officials, they advised: “To the extent that counting the write-in votes takes longer than expected, the moderator may release the Republican results earlier than the Democratic results provided the results are complete and the moderator is comfortable that appropriate reconciliation has taken place.”

In Concord, voters send a message by writing in Biden

The choice for Liza Mulligan to show up to Concord Ward 4 to vote was easy. Her house is in sight of the polling place.

But the choice to write in Joe Biden – during a primary in which the president chose not to participate – was about something bigger, Mulligan said: a way to show that he still commands support. 

“I just want his name to be there,” she said, referring to her vote. “I think it’s important.”

Jock Irvine also voted for Biden, “even though he was kind of instrumental in not counting the Democratic primary in New Hampshire this year.”

It took Irvine a month to decide whether he should even bother. But in the end, Irvine thought it was important to give his vote to the person he believes can beat Donald Trump.

“We’ve done well under him, the economy’s improving, the Inflation Reduction Act has done a good job of reducing inflation, and he’s a statesman,” Irvine said, adding that his son would have benefitted from a student loan forgiveness program that was struck down by the Supreme Court in July. 

Mulligan also praised Biden’s economic record, even while recognizing a potential messaging problem. “I actually think he’s done a good job with the economy,” she said. “I know a lot of people say ‘nah, nah, nah,’ but I think there’s solid stuff he’s done.”

Moderators in the Democratic-leaning city are preparing for many voters to write in Joe Biden – a decision that will require that poll workers count the ballots by hand. But even if many do, the overall number of votes as of Tuesday afternoon was not especially abnormal, said Lydea Irwin, moderator of Concord Ward 6. 

“It’s high for an election at this location,” she said. “Not necessarily high for a (presidential) primary.” 

Irwin has been pushing for help with the counting Tuesday evening, since the tabulators will not be able to count the write-in votes for Joe Biden – and like other towns, she could be more fully equipped. “We might be a little light on volunteers for this evening,” she said.

But Irwin said the ward is expecting some volunteers to show up at the time the polls close. And even with fewer people helping than she’d like, she said she expects results to be finished by 11 p.m.

John Williams, moderator for Concord’s Ward 4, had an even earlier time target for the Democratic write-in votes: 9 p.m. That could be accomplished with just a handful of volunteers, he said.

One reason is that the voter participation in Concord is simply not as high as it could have been, Williams said. By 1:30 p.m., the ward had seen 25 percent of its registered voter list turn up to vote, and he was expecting around 50 percent by the end of the voting. 

Williams has already reduced the number of sign-in tables he thought he needed. “I don’t have a solid explanation,” he said. 

‘Kids for Nikki’: Hooksett girl takes NH primary seriously

Kim and Steve Kesselring, of Hooksett, took their 10-year-old daughter Hannah to see nearly every presidential candidate during the primary. They traveled nearly 200 miles from Hooksett to Bretton Woods last week to see Haley at the Mount Washington Hotel.

“Hannah’s at a really good age right now, where in eight years, she has to go vote,” Kim Kesselring said. “We say we don’t want you to vote how we vote. We say to her, ‘We want you to learn to vote for who you want. We want you to do what you think is right for you.’ ”

“I encourage all New Hampshire people to get to town halls. There’s no excuse not to. They’re here, like they’re here a lot.”

Hannah Kesselring asked each candidate she saw during the New Hampshire primary season why they should be elected president. Haley’s answer won her over, so much so that she turned the flyers that came to her parents’ house into a “Kids for Nikki” poster. 

“If they’re going to lead our country,  I want to know how they’re going to lead it,” she said. “And if they’re going to be our president, I want to know who they really are.”

On Haley: “She’s strong because she was a governor. She’s compassionate because she’s a mom. And she’s a leader because she was a US ambassador.” ”

Voter snapshot: Considering alternatives to Biden

Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips has trailed President Joe Biden by double digits throughout the primary. But that didn’t stop Matt Gould, 51, of Litchfield, from dropping by UNH Manchester last Thursday to see Phillips.

He’d like an alternative to Biden, he said.

“(Donald) Trump not getting elected is the greatest issue,” Gould said, adding that the country’s divide, especially the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, has him worried about possible civil war. “I don’t think it’s much of a stretch because I see so many people that are so convinced that Trump is the next coming of Christ and that they will do (anything.)

In addition to Phillips, the other prominent challenger to Biden on the ballot is Marianne Williamson, an author who ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.

Marjorie Taylor Greene campaigns with Trump in Londonderry

Campaigning alongside former President Donald Trump in Londonderry, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said the Republican primary will end in New Hampshire “tonight,” as she predicted Trump’s victory.

“This is a referendum on the Republican Party, and it’s been coming,” she said. “Republican voters, and I would argue many Americans, are sick and tired of new party Republicans, the neocon establishment wing of the party.”

In a tweet Tuesday, Greene used the hashtag #NeverNikki.

My message from Londonderry, New Hampshire!

Tonight, Republican voters are going to send a LOUD and CLEAR message:

Donald Trump is our nominee and the primary is OVER! pic.twitter.com/6M6r7gsl7R

— Marjorie Taylor Greene

(@mtgreenee) January 23, 2024

The Sununu-Trump war of words

Gov. Chris Sununu has said he’ll vote for former President Donald Trump if he secures the Republican nomination. Until then, it’s an X war.

In a Tweet, Trump questioned why Fox News continues to put Sununu on the air, saying his audiences “BOOO like crazy” when he mentions Sununu. To that, Sununu replied Tuesday, “I suppose it’s tough keeping up with the conversation given your advanced age. Maybe try subtitles next time.”

The responses were to be expected.

“Gonna be funny when you endorse Trump in a few days,” wrote one to Sununu. “Bookmarking this, for when you kiss the ring,” wrote another. 

Nearly 800 others chimed in with much the same.

I suppose it’s tough keeping up with the conversation given your advanced age.

Maybe try subtitles next time.

Thanks for watching. pic.twitter.com/hTET2s6z5d

— Chris Sununu (@ChrisSununu) January 23, 2024

There are four special elections today for the NH House

In addition to today’s presidential primary, there are four special elections to fill vacancies in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The elections are consequential for state politics, as the House is a closely divided chamber: 198 Republicans, 195 Democrats, and three independents. The races are as follows:

• Coos County District 1 – Democrat Cathleen Fountain, of Dalton, versus Republican Sean Durkin, of Northumberland
• Coos County District 6 – Democrat Edith Tucker, of Randolph, versus Republican Michael Murphy, of Gorham
• Strafford County District 11 has a Democratic primary between Erik Johnson and Jeffrey Salloway, both of Lee. The winner will face Republican Joseph Bazo, of Madbury, on March 12. 
• Rockingham County District 21 – Democrat Jacqueline Cali-Pitts versus Democrat Jennifer Mandelbaum, both of Portsmouth. This is a primary election with no declared Republicans.

Where is Joe Biden on New Hampshire primary day?

President Joe Biden isn’t on the ballot for this New Hampshire primary, and he won’t be in the state today, either.

As Granite State voters head to the polls, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make their first joint campaign appearance of 2024 at a reproductive rights event in northern Virginia. The event comes one day after what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. 

A new Biden campaign ad features a mother of three and OB-GYN from Texas who had to flee the state in order to get an abortion after a routine ultrasound revealed the fetus had a fatal condition.

Voter snapshot: ‘$1.87 gas and secure borders’

Linda McGrath thinks Donald Trump was an amazing president, but that his accomplishments were overshadowed while he was in office “because the press was 95 percent negative.”

McGrath held two signs outside the polls in Hampton — one read “$1.87 gas” and the other “secure borders.” She initially supported Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential primary, but has been a Trump fan since he first won the Republican nomination. In 2020, she volunteered for his campaign.

McGrath cited Trump policies on the border and energy independence, as well as “no wars” during his presidency. She believes Trump should have won the Nobel Peace Prize for the Abraham Accords, deals brokered by his administration in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and a number of Arab countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.

“Now the world is a dangerous powderkeg,” McGrath said.

Asked what issues matter most in her life that she’d like to see addressed by the future president, she said, “I believe there is not a candidate that could save the country. Only turning back towards God and being a moral people could save the country.”

Haley’s team to everyone: ‘Take a deep breath’ until Super Tuesday

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been courting New Hampshire’s 344,200 independent voters throughout the first-in-the-nation primary. It appears she will continue that strategy ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries on March 5.

And like here, the team is managing expectations.

Her campaign released a memo Tuesday morning that noted 11 of the 16 Super Tuesday states have open or semi-open primaries, meaning they allow free-agent undeclared voters to participate. Seven of those have “favorable demographics,” according to Haley’s team: Virginia, Texas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Vermont.

As the team looked ahead to South Carolina, where Haley is trailing Trump in her home state, it suggested everyone take a breather.

“Until (the Super Tuesday results are in), everyone should take a deep breath,” the memo said. “The campaign has not even begun in any of these states yet. No ads have been aired and candidates aren’t hustling on the ground. A month in politics is a lifetime.”

Voter snapshot: A worried anti-Trump, pro-Haley independent

Sally Roberts, 72, a Whitefield independent, said she will vote for Nikki Haley in the primary and then re-register as undeclared to keep her options open going forward. No other Republican in the race was an option, she said.

“I just find their behavior, especially Donald Trump’s, to be inexcusable,” said Roberts, who arrived at a Haley event in Bretton Woods last week wearing a “Make America Kind Again” pin. “It’s just a disgrace. I think Nikki Haley will work to reach across the aisle and to try to mend some of the fences. I would hope she would make it to the general election, but I’m worried she won’t, and that’s got me concerned because I can’t vote for Donald Trump.”

Nikki Haley and Gov. Sununu visit Hampton polls

Surrounded by a press gaggle just after 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nikki Haley and Gov. Chris Sununu visited Winnacunnet High School, where Hampton voters are casting their primary ballots.

Haley said “it’s amazing to get the first six votes in the country,” referring to her midnight sweep of Dixville Notch – a tiny town in northern New Hampshire that traditionally casts the first votes of the first-in-the-nation primary. The four Republicans and two independents all voted for the former South Carolina governor this year.

“We’re very grateful for that,” Haley told reporters. “That was a great start to the day.” 

.@NikkiHaley says it’s “amazing to get the first six votes in the country,” referring to her midnight sweep of Dixville Notch. #NHpolitics #FITN pic.twitter.com/oXhYai7BXz

— Hadley Barndollar (@hbarndollar) January 23, 2024

Haley was flanked by both Sununu, perhaps her biggest supporter on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, and Don Bolduc, former Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. 

Haley took questions about her poll numbers in New Hampshire against former President Donald Trump, in which she’s trailing by double-digits. Haley said she’s always been the “underdog” and will fight until the last poll closes. She’s not writing her obituary, she added. 

Haley was also questioned on whether she believes Trump is unfit to be president.

“The problem is, do you want two 80-year-olds running for president?” she said. “I mean, seriously. In the military, you have to retire at 65. You don’t have surgeons doing surgery at 80. It’s just a fact that people start to decline. And when you’ve got a country in disarray and a world on fire the way we do, you need someone at the top of their game that can put in eight years.”

Bolduc supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, but the former president is no longer the candidate for the retired U.S. Army brigadier general. He sees Haley as “uniting the country.”

“Seventy-percent of Americans don’t want a Trump/Biden ticket for the obvious reasons,” Bolduc said. “Divisive, grievances, investigations. These things are just pulling America apart,  not bringing America together. And Nikki Haley will bring America together. That’s her strongest suit.”

What is the ‘Write-in Biden’ campaign? And why isn’t Biden on the ballot?

Last winter, the Democratic National Committee made a significant change to the presidential primary calendar, in which New Hampshire was to give up its first-in-the-nation status in favor of South Carolina. But New Hampshire officials refused the DNC directive, and in November, Secretary of State Dave Scanlan scheduled the primary for Jan. 23 in its traditional first-in-the-nation spot following the Iowa caucuses.

New Hampshire has a state statute directing the secretary of state to hold the state’s primary at least a week before any similar nominating contest. The DNC attempted to persuade New Hampshire lawmakers to repeal the primary statute and allow the Democratic primary to be split from the Republican primary and held later. Lawmakers in both parties declined to do so. 

When the filing period for presidential candidates arrived in October, Biden opted not to add his name to the New Hampshire ballot, citing the state party’s lack of compliance with the DNC’s calendar. As a result, local Democrats quickly launched a write-in campaign for Biden in hopes of cementing support for the likely Democratic nominee, despite his absence from the ballot.

Trump leads Haley in final CNN/UNH poll results

According to the final CNN/UNH poll released Sunday, Donald Trump leads Nikki Haley by 11 percentage points, 50 percent to 39 percent, in the New Hampshire primary. While Haley holds a significant lead among undeclared or independent voters, that is not projected to be enough for a Haley victory because Trump holds a wider lead among registered Republicans. The poll was conducted while Ron DeSantis was still in the race; he polled at 6 percent. 

The polling also showed immigration and “the border” as the most important issue for GOP primary voters, followed by cost of living and “protecting democracy or the Constitution.”

When do the polls open and close in New Hampshire?

Most polls in the state open between 6 and 8 a.m. on Tuesday, and the last polls will close at 8 p.m. It is important to check the open and close times for your specific polling location by visiting your town or city’s website. The Secretary of State’s website can also help you find out what your polling location is, as well as voting times and sample ballots. 

Voters who are in line when the polls close will still be able to cast their vote.