A Trump New Hampshire win could still see Haley emerge as threat: analysts

The New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday may put former U.S. president Donald Trump one step closer to securing the nomination, but former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley could still emerge as his main challenger.

“All she has to do is establish herself as a credible threat to Trump. She doesn’t have to win,” Republican strategist Jonathan Majors told The West Block guest host Eric Sorensen.

“As long as she comes out within some kind of margin of error, she’s going to be in a very great position to make this a very contested race.”

Trump handily won the first primary in Iowa last week with 51 per cent of the vote. Haley placed third with 19-per cent support.

But New Hampshire is quite different. There, the voting pool is more moderate than other states as New Hampshire primary rules allow independents to vote as well and not just card-carrying Republicans.

“So, it’s a really different electorate, and she’s been able to make some strides with college-educated voters up there. However, it’s just not clear that anybody can beat Trump,” Sandra Peri, a former senior speechwriter for Barack Obama, said during the panel discussion.

In the fallout of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters and a presidential campaign that critics say appears focused on retribution, there’s a sense of heightened stakes in this election.

Amid a myriad of legal issues, Trump is still heavily favoured to secure the Republican presidential nomination.

Madison sees a few reasons why voters are flocking to Trump with these heightened stakes.

“Right now, America feels very much demoralized. If you’re a resident here, you get the sense that the world doesn’t look at us the same on the international level,” Madison said.

“I think