Nikki Haley scrambles to close gap with Trump on eve of do-or-die Republican New Hampshire primary
Nikki Haley was scrambling Monday to close a wide gap with former President Donald Trump on the eve of Tuesday’s do-or-die New Hampshire Republican primary.
With Trump boasting a huge lead in polls, Haley stepped up her attacks on the MAGA leader in hopes of pulling off a shocking upset that could give her a shot at turning the GOP primary into a serious race.
She accused Trump of lying about her stands on immigration and Social Security after trashing him for mixing her up with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the weekend.
“We’re going to call him out on everything,” she said on Fox News. “Because we have a country to save.”
After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis abruptly pulled the plug on his struggling campaign and endorsing the former president, Haley finally got what she wanted: a one-on-one matchup against Trump in independent-minded New Hampshire.
The former UN ambassador claimed momentum is on her side as she barnstormed the state with five appearances across the state.
“When he throws temper tantrums it’s because he’s nervous,” she added. “It’s because he feels threatened. And he should.”
Trump leads in the final polls before the New Hampshire contest by anywhere from 10 to 25 or more percentage points.
And the sudden departure from the race of DeSantis might only swell his support since most of the Florida governor’s supporters named Trump as their second choice, not Haley.
Trump was planning to speak at an election-eve night rally Monday night. His planned appearance in the E. Jean Carroll rape and defamation case was scrapped because a juror fell sick.
Trump last week trounced DeSantis in Iowa, where evangelical Christian conservatives backed him strongly.
After New Hampshire, the GOP race turns to South Carolina next month where a much more conservative GOP electorate should favor Trump even though Haley has a home-state advantage.
Then a raft of states vote in Super Tuesday, where Trump holds dominant leads in delegate-rich states like Texas and California.
