Trump Cruises to Victory in New Hampshire, a Defiant Haley Vows to Stay in Race Despite Trailing by 56 Points Nationally

By Illinois Review

President Donald Trump cruised to victory in Tuesday night’s New Hampshire Primary, easily beating his Republican opponent Nikki Haley and solidifying his status as the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States.

An hour after the polls closed, news outlets were already declaring that Trump was the projected winner – and Haley wasted no time taking the stage and delivering what appeared to be a victory speech.

On Saturday, during a campaign stop in Keene, New Hampshire, Haley questioned President Trump’s mental fitness after he accidentally confused her with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) during a recent campaign speech, saying,

“The concern I have is — I’m not saying anything derogatory — but when you’re dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this. We can’t.”

Haley, who has the support of establishment Republicans and the anti-Trump wing of the party, has vowed to remain in the race despite trailing Trump by 56 points nationally. In Iowa, Haley finished in third place – 32 points behind Trump.

On Tuesday night, Haley tried to deliver an optimistic tone and assure her supporters that her campaign is just getting started.

“New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not the last in the nation…this race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go.”

But some have already begun to question Haley’s mental fitness – and why she’s sounding so optimistic despite losing two major contests in Iowa and now in New Hampshire by a wide margin. And in South Carolina – her home state where she served as governor, polls show President Trump leading by 36 points.

Haley appears to be taking a page out of the IL GOP playbook, who shares her optimism despite massive losses. Over the Summer, IL GOP chair Don Tracy and RNC national committeeman Richard Porter were doing flips into Tracy’s pool fully clothed to demonstrate that they will flip Illinois from Democrat to Republican.

But in reality, the Illinois Republican Party is struggling to raise money – and sources within the IL GOP confirm that, and Tracy’s win-loss record as the party leader rivals the Cleveland Browns in 2017 when they went 0-16.

And as the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board pointed out in a November 11, 2022 editorial,

“Republicans lost every state constitutional office – governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer – and 14 of 17 congressional seats. In the General Assembly, not only did the GOP fail to gain any ground on Democrats’ supermajority, Democrats notched a record number of seats in the Illinois House. And in the Illinois Supreme Court, where Republicans had an opportunity to gain two seats…they came up short. Democrats now have a comfortable 5-2 edge in the state’s high court.”

But listen to Illinois Republican Party leaders and the party is in a much better position to win elections thanks to Don Tracy’s leadership – however, pay no attention to his win-loss record, Chicago Tribune editorial board post-election recaps or his fundraising numbers.

After a poor showing in Iowa, Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed President Trump. On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a video on X that he was suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing Trump over Haley.

The next primary is in South Carolina on February 3rd.