Trump, Haley Duke It Out in New Hampshire Ahead of Primary Vote

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) – Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump will make their closing arguments in New Hampshire on Sunday in a final stretch of campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination before voters go to the polls on Tuesday.

Time is running short for Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, to topple the Republican presidential frontrunner after his victory in the Iowa caucuses underscored his dominance in the primary race.

If she cannot score an upset win in New Hampshire on Tuesday, her already-narrow path to the nomination could close altogether.

Trump, who is leading Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire, addressed a stadium full of cheering supporters in Manchester on Saturday night, encouraging them to go to the polls on Tuesday, when the primary will take place.

But he also appeared to shift some of his focus to the next major nominating contest, in South Carolina in late February.

At the rally, several high-ranking state and federal officials from that state spoke on Trump’s behalf, including South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

“They understand that I am the only candidate in this race who is going to save America and we’re gonna get rid of this Biden disaster right away,” Trump said.

Haley on Saturday knocked Trump, 77, for his age after he seemingly confused her with former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Haley also criticized Trump for his affinity for strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Trump, she said at a campaign event in Keene, New Hampshire, on Saturday, “needs to stop praising dictators.”