Can Trump be stopped? Key questions ahead of New Hampshire after DeSantis drops out of race

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Donald Trump’s effort to march to the Republican presidential nomination faces perhaps its greatest challenge on Tuesday when voters in New Hampshire hold the first-in-the-nation primary.

The former president enters the contest emboldened by his record-setting performance in last week’s Iowa caucuses. But New Hampshire has a more moderate political tradition and primary rules that allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the race. Trump-backed MAGA candidates have struggled here in recent years.

Nikki Haley is hoping to capitalize on those vulnerabilities. The former U.N. ambassador is the only candidate left in the GOP primary aiming to defeat Trump outright. After a disappointing finish in Iowa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is effectively surrendering new Hampshire and focusing on South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary.

A Haley victory would usher in a more competitive phase of a primary that Trump has so far dominated. A Trump win, however, could create a sense of inevitability around the prospect that he could become the GOP nominee for the third consecutive time.

What to know about New Hampshire’s presidential primary

• AP Decision Notes: Here iswhat to expect in the New Hampshire primaries
• Is a New Hampshire primary without the front-runner on the ballot and no delegates up for grabs still a New Hampshire primary? It depends on whom you ask.
• The opioid crisis is still raging in New Hampshire. For some voters, the issue is deeply personal.
• How the New Hampshire primary could energize Nikki Haley’s push to defeat Donald Trump

Don’t forget that Democrats have a primary, too. President Joe Biden is not on the ballot, having made South Carolina the first formal stop on the Democratic primary calendar. But New