Nikki Haley, Donald Trump make final pitch to voters before New Hampshire primary
SALEM, NH - New Hampshire is known for delivering a plot twist during its coveted first-in-the-nation primary. At least one of the candidates will be relying on one as the two-person Republican race is put to the test on Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump has a double-digit lead in most polls over former UN Ambassador, and South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley. However, Haley's lead has been growing in New Hampshire over the course of several months. Her debate performances last fall, and the endorsement of Governor Chris Sununu, seemed to have helped her gain momentum.
The final day of campaigning before the primary looked different for the candidates. Trump held one event in New Hampshire on Monday, compared to Haley's five.
The former president started his day in a New York courtroom before heading to Laconia for a 9 p.m. rally. There, he was flanked by former candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, and Doug Burgum.
"Tomorrow is the day you will cast the most important vote of your entire life," Trump said. "We started off with 13 and now we are down to two people. I think one will be gone probably tomorrow."
The former president mentioned Haley a few times, referring to her as a RINO (Republican in name only). But he spent most of his time on President Joe Biden and signaled his mind was already on the general election. "We are coming to November," Trump said. "We are coming to take over the beautiful White House and we are going to run the country the way it is supposed to be run..."
During her fifth and final stop of the day, Nikki Haley spoke to a packed room in Salem. There she spoke about her desire to reform border security, term limits and government spending. She also took aim at her former boss.
"Chaos follows him. You know I am right," Haley said referring to Trump. "Chaos follows him. And we cannot have a country in disarray and have a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos because we won't survive it."
Haley also called out campaign ads targeting her record. She told the crowd Monday night that each of those ads featured lies and false representations of her positions on several issues. "If you have to lie to win you don't deserve to win," Haley said. "It's that simple."
