What DeSantis dropping out means for the rest of the Republican primary: How shock decision ‘BOOSTS’ Trump and makes it ‘harder’ for Haley

With Ron DeSantis’ shocking announcement that he is withdrawing from the race for the White House, the question now is who his supporters will support.

Will they flock to Donald Trump and give the frontrunner even more momentum, or will they decide to throw their support behind Nikki Haley?

The New Hampshire primary is less than 48 hours away and Haley is hoping for a victory to close the gap with Trump in what is now a two-horse race.

She trails Trump by double digits in the polls and faces an uphill battle to win the state she has focused on after finishing third in Iowa.

While it is not clear how the Florida governor’s surprise decision to end his campaign will play out at the ballot box, analysts and pollsters have suggested that Trump will benefit from it.

DeSantis’ supporters in the state were shocked by the timing of the announcement, with some admitting they don’t know how they will vote on Tuesday.

But many have resigned themselves to the fact that in 2024 it will again be Trump versus Biden.

Republican strategist Scott Jennings told DailyMail.com: “Trump benefits, but he was already on his way to the nomination.

‘Trump is dominant. He has conducted a by-the-book operation to dispatch his opponents.

“New Hampshire is the most fertile ground Haley would ever find and Trump leads her by a decent margin.

‘It doesn’t get any easier from there. In fact, it becomes considerably more difficult.’

a CNN/University of New Hampshire survey released hours before the DeSantis news showed his supporters were more likely to support the former president over Haley.

The poll found that 62 percent of likely voters in New Hampshire who had DeSantis as their first choice would choose Trump second, while only 32 percent had Haley as their alternative.

According to the poll, Trump led Haley by 11 points in the Granite State with two days until polls open. DeSantis was polling at just six percent before withdrawing.

Even if all of his supporters defected to Haley, her goal of eliminating the frontrunner would still be a difficult task.

A YouGov/The Economist poll conducted in late December and January produced similar results.

Among DeSantis supporters, 42 percent said Trump was their second choice, while 34 percent chose Haley.

In a Suffolk/USA Today poll, also in December, a whopping 67 percent of DeSantis said Trump was their backup, while only 18 percent said they would vote for Haley.

The New Hampshire primary is open, so voters of any party can participate.

Haley is counting on independents and Democrats to support her if she wants to have a shot at first place.

DailyMail.com also spoke to DeSantis supporters at the Farm Bar and Grille in Manchester, New Hampshire, who were expecting to attend his campaign event Sunday evening.

It was canceled, forcing some of his campaign staff to toast the end of their operation inside.

The restaurant staff told the media that since the event was canceled, the press had to wait outside.

So the voters who came to see their favorite candidate were left wondering where it all went wrong.

Richard Paddack of Gilford told DailyMail.com that he heard DeSantis dropped out while driving to the event with his eight-year-old daughter Elodie.

“I was able to understand the playing field going forward – to ultimately see the primary states – he had to make the right decision for his family,” Paddack said.

“It was because of South Carolina, he poured so much into South Carolina. However, I thought he would only stay on the other side.”

He said he would still vote for DeSantis in Tuesday’s primary.

“Here in New Hampshire, we will not shy away from that support. We have to find out. I mean, Governor Haley, her conduct during this campaign has been extremely poor.”

Paddack insisted he would not support Trump.

“There’s no way I could stand behind someone of that character and then just watch the way the Republican Party continues to pander — without showing any conviction,” Paddack said.

‘No honor. This is one of the reasons we love DeSantis so much, because he was willing to support our fight.”

When asked who he would vote for if the general election were between Trump and Biden, Paddack said, “When you hear this Joe (Manchin), I hope you’re considering a third-party (run).”

Dan Arlen stood outside the restaurant and said he heard the news through social media.

“It was interesting, just the timing of it. I think Trump will be the nominee in November.

Arlen said he was unsure who he will vote for in Tuesday’s primaries and has resigned himself to the prospect of a rematch between Trump and Biden.

If that is the reality, he said he would “probably” vote for Trump.

New Hampshire state Rep. Emily Phillips said she was shocked by DeSantis’ decision when she found out about it on X.

‘I’m disappointed. I’m a bit in shock. I wonder about the timing. Why it couldn’t wait until after Tuesday.

‘A lot of work has gone into it. Many of our state representatives have invested a lot of time in his campaign. So I don’t know if I don’t know the political game or why the timing is the way it is, but it’s a little bit shocking.”

Although DeSantis has endorsed Trump, she admits she is “conflicted” and still doesn’t know who to vote for on Tuesday.

DeSantis doesn’t think his supporters would ever turn to Haley as their hope to win back the White House.

He said last month Real clear politics: ‘Most people who support me, if they had to choose between Trump and Haley, they would choose Trump because they may have doubts about Trump’s electability or other issues, but Haley on policy is just a no go for them.’