Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis will all make N.H. stops this week

With less than 10 days left before voters in New Hampshire go to the polls for the first presidential primary of the 2024 campaign cycle, it’s no surprise that the state will be crawling with Republican candidates for most of next week.

According to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign, the 45th President will stop in Atkinson on Tuesday and spend Wednesday evening rallying in Portsmouth. Trump has also scheduled rallies in Manchester and Rochester for the Saturday and Sunday leading up to the Granite State’s January 23 primary.

Former U.N. Ambassador will be in Bretton Woods for a Tuesday rally and a CNN sponsored debate scheduled for Sunday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be at the debate, just days after he’s scheduled to appear in New Hampshire for a CNN hosted town hall style event.

Trump, who has not mounted a debate stage this election cycle, citing his dominance in the polls, will skip Sunday’s debate in favor of his rally in Rochester.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy did not meet the polling requirements to join his fellow Republicans at Sunday’s debate.

The fate of another debate also scheduled this week is uncertain. According to DeSantis’ campaign he’s the only one who has accepted an invitation to participate.

“We have a debate scheduled on Thursday in New Hampshire, WMUR debate. I’m the only one that’s accepted that debate. I hope that debate happens. But if not, I’ll be there. If they want to do a town hall, I’m game,” DeSantis told Fox News’ Laura Ingram.

Ahead of their planned events in New Hampshire, all three candidates were working the vote in Iowa over the weekend, where a sudden cold snap is threatening participation in that state’s Republican caucus. According to the National Weather Service it could hit -14 degrees across much of the state by the time the caucusing begins Monday evening.

“Our grassroots supporters have put us in position to win, and now we have to show up to caucus for President Trump on Monday and get the job done. We have to show up,” Trump said in a statement shared by his campaign.

Not scheduled to appear in New Hampshire this week, nor on the ballot the following week, is incumbent President Joe Biden.

Biden’s campaign chose to leave itself out of the running for the first-in-the-nation primary, after the state party was unable to carry through with the Democratic National Committee’s wishes to adjust the primary date to fall after South Carolina’s.

According to Haley, voters don’t want to see either president on the ballot.

“We can’t keep going down this path that the country’s going on. The chaos is uncontrollable. And you don’t defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos. We have got to make sure that we can’t be a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won’t survive it. That’s why we have got to put these names of Biden and Trump in the past and look forward with new solutions in the future so that our kids will have a better life,” she told Fox News Sunday’s Shannon Bream.

According to the most recent polling out of the Hawkeye State, a lead Trump has maintained for the year leading up to the caucus remains intact, despite his legal troubles and the efforts of other candidates in the state.

In fact, the 91 felony charges leveled against the former President seems to have only cemented his support among conservatives, with just under half of over 700 voters surveyed in a NBC News/Des Moines Register poll of likely caucus-goers saying they will choose Trump over any other Republican.

About 20% say they will pick Haley, who has seen a surge in support as DeSantis’ campaign slips further out of contention. The Sunshine State’s governor nets only 16% support in Iowa, according to the poll, despite DeSantis visiting all 99 counties there. Ramaswamy, whose campaign says he’s done more events in the state than all of the other candidates combined, comes in at 8%

A Saint Anselm College poll released on Friday shows that Haley is doing better in New Hampshire than Iowa, netting 31% of support, but still not well enough to overcome Trump’s lead of 45%. That survey also shows DeSantis polling at 6% alongside Ramaswamy.

Carolyn Kaster/ The Associated Press

Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at Jethro’s BBQ in Ames, Iowa, Sunday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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