US presidential election watch | All eyes on South Carolina after Trump wins second primary; Nikki Haley says ‘race is far from over’

From former US President Donald Trump’s victory in New Hampshire to Nikki Haley’s reaction to the loss, here are some key stories to follow in the run-up to the US Presidential elections.

Trump scores in New Hampshire primary

Trump scored a key victory with the Republican voters on Tuesday, winning the party primary in New Hampshire. He won over 54% of the votes and gained 11 delegates, as compared to Haley, who won 43% of the votes and eight delegates.

Between January 15 (when the Iowa primary was held) and June 4, 2,429 Republican delegates are up for grabs. To win the Republican nomination, the candidate needs at least 1,215 of these delegates. Currently, after the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, Trump has 32 delegates while Haley has 17, as per CNN.

Addressing supporters after the New Hampshire win, Trump criticised Haley, saying she had a “very bad night.” “She [Haley] did very poorly actually,” he said, as per CNN. “The governor said she’s going to win, she’s going to win, she’s going to win. Then she failed badly.”

Haley vows to fight on

However, his competitor Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and a UN ambassador during the Trump administration, remained defiant, saying “We’re not going to let them coronate Donald Trump when 48 states haven’t voted.”

The Indian-origin legislator has some room for hope, as she bested Trump among college graduates and moderates. Experts have also pointed out that Haley continuing in the competition, especially now that all other competitors have dropped out, could work to her advantage depending on Trump’s legal troubles.

Thank you, New Hampshire! The political class wanted us to believe that this race was over before it even began. You proved them wrong, and I am so grateful. It’s time to put the negativity and chaos behind us. Our fight is not over, because we have a country to save. pic.twitter.com/DDA7VjPTjZ

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 24, 2024

Haley’s main focus is on the upcoming South Carolina primary on February 24, which could make or break her campaign. “Donald Trump’s only strategy is to lie about me and my record. That’s not going to work in South Carolina. The people of South Carolina know that I cut their taxes, passed one of the toughest immigration bills in the country, and moved thousands from welfare to work,” she said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) hours after the NH loss.

Joe Biden gears up to face Trump

US President Joe Biden, who won the Democratic party’s primary in New Hampshire as the write-in candidate, has started treating Trump as his rival in the upcoming 2024 elections.

“It is now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. And my message to the country is the stakes could not be higher. Our democracy. Our personal freedoms — from the right to choose to the right to vote. Our economy — which has seen the strongest recovery in the world since COVID. All are at stake,” he said in a statement, as per CNN.

Photo of merch from Biden-Harris campaign website

His campaign has started selling merchandise with the slogan ‘TOGETHER, WE WILL DEFEAT TRUMP. AGAIN’ in red and white letters. The Biden-Harris campaign is selling unisex t-shirts for $32, 2-pack of stickers for $6 and phone wallpapers.

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