Trump Wins New Hampshire, Defiant Haley Challenges Him to Debate

Former President Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire Republican primary election, according to projections from the Associated Press (AP), CNN and Fox News, but was challenged by rival Nikki Haley to face her in a debate.

With 54.3 percent, Trump defeated former United Nations Ambassador Haley, who received 44.7 percent, according to AP projections. The outlet called the race at 8 p.m., right as polls closed in New Hampshire with roughly 19 percent of the votes tallied.

Trump has long been the GOP front-runner in the polls, which also suggested that he would have no issue winning last week's Iowa caucuses, where he was the overwhelming victor. While New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary was expected to be a closer race, Trump was still predicted to come out on top.

In an exit poll conducted by CNN that asked Republican voters in New Hampshire whether they identified as part of the MAGA movement, a majority 64 percent responded no, opposed to 32 percent voting yes.

Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under the Trump administration and is also a former governor of South Carolina, has argued she is better suited to beat President Joe Biden in a general election. She has pointed to the MAGA leader's defeat in the 2020 election, as well as Republican losses in recent years, as to why the party needs new leadership.

In a speech shortly after the networks called the race for Trump, Haley congratulated the former president on his victory, but said she's in it for the long haul.

"This race is far from over," Haley said. "There are dozens of states left to go."

Haley echoed her previous point that said a "Trump candidate is a Biden win and a Kamala Harris presidency."

"With Donald Trump, Republicans have lost almost every competitive election," she said. "We lost in 2018, we lost in 2020, we lost in 2022. The worst-kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump."

Haley challenged Trump to face her directly, saying: "He thinks he'd do better [on a mental test] than me. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. But if he thinks that, then he should have no problem standing on a debate stage with me."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Haley showed no signs of exiting the race and threw down the gauntlet to Trump again.

"I've got bad news for the political establishment: I'm not going anywhere ... except to my sweet South Carolina," Haley said. "We're not going to let them coronate Donald Trump when 48 states haven't voted. #BringIt"

In response to Newsweek's request for comment, AnnMarie M. Graham-Barnes, a Haley spokesperson, said: "Nikki Haley supports term limits, mental competency tests, and ending politicians' pork projects, so it's not surprising that Donald Trump is getting endorsements from the DC establishment and political elites. Nikki will always put taxpayers and American families first."

Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday night to representatives of Trump for comment.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the former president said that "Haley said she had to WIN in New Hampshire. SHE DIDN'T!!!"

Before the race was called in his favor, Trump complained in a post about New Hampshire's primary process, in which undeclared voters can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot.

"SO RIDICULOUS THAT DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, ESPECIALLY SINCE CROOKED JOE BIDEN HAS ABANDONED NEW HAMPSHIRE—BUT WORD IS WE ARE DOING REALLY WELL," Trump said in the post.

Trump Lashes Out at Haley in Victory Speech

During his victory speech in New Hampshire, Trump called Haley an "imposter" and questioned why she was still in the race after placing third in Iowa and losing again in the Granite State.

"She's doing a speech like she won—she didn't win, she lost," the former president told a crowd of supporters. "She ran up and pretended she won Iowa. Didn't she come in third?"

Trump questioned why Haley refused to suspend her campaign, saying: "Ron [DeSantis] came in second and he left. [Nikki Haley] came in third and she's still around."

In Iowa on January 15, Trump secured a historic win, the largest margin of any non-incumbent in the modern era. In his victory speech, the normally divisive MAGA leader called for unity after declining to attack his primary opponents.

The former president amassed 51 percent of the GOP vote, 30 points ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who placed second with 21 percent. Haley came in third with 19 percent. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy came in fourth, earning nearly 8 percent and quickly dropped out of the race. DeSantis suspended his campaign a few days later, leaving Haley as Trump's only major Republican challenger days before the New Hampshire primary.

What the Polls and Pundits Say

Despite his victory on Tuesday night, Trump received a warning sign from New Hampshire GOP primary voters.

A CBS News exit poll of Republican primary voters unearthed a concern for the Trump campaign ahead of the general election. The poll found that 47 percent of GOP primary voters said they believe Trump would be unfit to serve as president if he is convicted of a crime in one of his four criminal trials. Trump has maintained his innocence in each case, pleading not guilty to all charges.

Earlier Tuesday, Haley celebrated news of her victory in the tiny community of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, in midnight voting, calling it "a great start to a great day in New Hampshire" in a post to X.

Haley, who experienced a surge in momentum in recent weeks, needed a strong showing in New Hampshire to keep her presidential hopes alive.

On Tuesday night, pundits noted the smaller-than-expected gap between Trump and Haley.

On Jesse Watters Primetime, political analyst Brit Hume hinted that Haley would make a strong pick for vice president. "The Republicans are a minority party in this country," Hume said. "They need to be able to attract support from outside the ranks of the Republican Party. ... If [Nikki Haley] does in fact appeal to independents and others outside the party, she could be helpful to whoever wins, including Trump."

MAGA Responds to Trump's Win

Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, shared a post on X congratulating Trump for winning New Hampshire more than 20 minutes before the race was even called.

Stefanik, a staunch Trump supporter, shared a statement at 7:36 p.m. and post three minutes later to the social media platform, touting the former president's "massive" win in the Granite State and calling on Haley to drop out.

"MASSIVE TRUMP VICTORY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE," Stefanik said. "Congratulations @realDonaldTrump on your huge #Trump2024 New Hampshire Primary win! cc:@TeamTrump @DanScavino Nikki Haley must drop out so we can focus on defeating Joe Biden to Save America. The #TrumpTrain isn't slowing down -- President Trump will #SaveAmerica!!"

Trump ally Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, was also quick to celebrate the former president's victory on social media.

"It's official PRESIDENT TRUMP WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE," Greene said in a post on X. "This was a referendum on the Republican Party. We're done with the old Neocon version of before. The GOP is firmly behind President Trump!"

This is a breaking story and will be updated as further information becomes available.