Could Nikki Haley ‘smoke’ Trump in New Hampshire? Chris Christie dropping out gives ex-South Carolina governor the ‘final puzzle piece’ to pull off a ‘seismic shock’ in the second 2024 contest

Every major poll taken in New Hampshire this month shows Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley poised to benefit now that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has dropped out of the presidential race.

On Wednesday evening, Christie announced in New Hampshire that he was dissolving his campaign.

Without naming names, he blasted Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for refusing to fully disavow former President Donald Trump, while caught on the hot mic backstage saying Haley would be “smoked” by Trump and ‘she is not capable of this.’

Still, she has been able to attract Christie’s voters in the state that is hosting that nation’s first presidential primary, eight days after the Iowa caucuses, and has changed the trajectory for candidates in previous races.

With Christie’s departure, Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett is taking action told The New York Times On Thursday, Haley got “the final piece of the puzzle,” after receiving prominent endorsements from conservative Don Bolduc, the failed 2022 New Hampshire Senate candidate, and the more moderate Granite State Governor Chris Sununu.

“If she were to win New Hampshire, or even if she came in second, it would be a seismic shock to the Republican Party,” said Bartlett, a former Trump appointee who is not affiliated with any of the current 2024 -parties. campaigns.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in New Hampshire on Wednesday evening (photo). He took Haley to task on the hot mic on his way out, even though polls have shown her in second place for about half of his voters in New Hampshire.

The Real Clear Politics polling average Trump currently has 43.3 percent support among New Hampshire voters, while Haley is at 29 percent, a difference of 14.3 percent.

Christie had 12 percent support before pulling the plug on Wednesday.

When Christie supporters in New Hampshire were asked to name their runner-up, This is evident from an Emerson College poll published Thursday found that 52 percent chose Haley.

Two studies released on Tuesday – the CNN/University of New Hampshire Survey and the Suffolk University/USA Today/Boston Globe poll found that 48 percent of Christie supporters had Haley as their second choice.

If these trends hold, Haley would be about 8 points behind Trump in New Hampshire.

On Wednesday, Trump pollster John McLaughlin predicted an 8-point loss for Haley in the Granite State.

He argued that in order to attract some of Christie’s voters, Haley would drift too far to the left and lose some of her current support.

“Christie’s retreat to attract his voters will only pull Nikki Haley further to the left,” McLaughlin said. “For this reason, President Trump still wins in the two-way vote in New Hampshire, where a Christie withdrawal would play a role: Trump 52%-44% Haley.”

McLaughlin’s calculations didn’t take into account the momentum Haley is gaining, which could send more undecided voters her way, something her surrogates are counting on.

“Here’s what I learned about the good people of New Hampshire. They have an open mind going into the election and a lot of those voters who leaned toward Chris Christie, their No. 1 vote, Nikki Haley was always their second,” said former Rep. Will Hurd, a former 2024 hopeful who supported Haley when he left the race.

He spoke to reporters in the spin room after Wednesday night’s GOP debate in Des Moines.

Hurd also said “absolutely” Haley had the momentum in the Granite State.

Additionally, “black” voters can vote in the state’s primary on Jan. 23, which could also give Haley a multi-point boost.