Tuesday’s results in New Hampshire were not surprising, nor was the Republican reaction.
Minutes later, the state’s Republican primary went for the former president Donald Trumpa parade of elected party officials declared concluded nomination race and urged Trump’s only remaining opponent, Nikki Haley, to end her campaign.
Haley, former governor of South Carolina, said this he will not, promising to continue as the primary race moves to his home state.
Republican presidential candidate and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley holds a baby as she interacts with supporters during a campaign rally ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary election in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States, January 24, 2024. REUTERS /Randall Hill An avalanche of Republicans called on the party to “unite” to “agglutinates” and “uniting” around Trump.
Among them: Senators Rick Scott (Florida), Josh Hawley (Missouri), Mike Braun (Indiana) and John Cornyn (Texas). Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Byron Donalds of Florida, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota; and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas.
In that list, in particular, there was also Ronna McDaniel, president of the Republican National Committee, who is officially neutral in the primaries. McDaniel said on Fox News that the party should “unite around our eventual nominee, which will be Donald Trump.”
The elected candidates were more outspoken.
“This thing is over and we ALL know it,” Donalds said on social media.
It was a common refrain.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who ended his presidential campaign in December, said “this primary is over.”
“The Republican primary is over,” said Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, who defeated one of Trump’s most prominent opponents, Liz Cheney, in the 2022 primary.
“It’s over,” said Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
“It’s over,” said Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina.
In post after post on social media, Republicans said that any resistance to Trump’s nomination would be futile: a “farce” (Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas), a waste of resources (Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Representative Mike Collins of Georgia and Cory Mills of Florida), or even an act of party betrayal.
“At this point, Haley can leave or help the Democrats,” said Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
A lone voice spoke against the grain: that of the governor of New Hampshire, Chris SununuHaley’s most prominent supporter in the state, who was omnipresent in her campaign in the weeks leading up to the primary.
Haley “turned the national media narrative on its head and proved that this is, in fact, a two-horse race,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“And tonight, Granite State voters have put the wind in her sails as she heads to her sweet home state of South Carolina.”
Polls show Haley trailing Trump by more than 35 points in South Carolina, which holds its primary on Feb. 24.
Sununu added in an interview with Fox News On Wednesday morning, he objected to McDaniel’s call to unite behind Trump after only two states had voted.
“The head of the Republican Party says we don’t want to listen to all the other Republicans in the nation because he’s getting too close — that’s nonsense,” he said.}
“Let the voters decide, not a handful of political elites in Washington.”
c.2024 The New York Times Company
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.