New Hampshire’s primary tradition may be little more than a fairy tale in the 2024 presidential race as the Republican presidential field largely overlooks the Granite State in favor of Iowa
Republican presidential candidate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie poses for a photo Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, at a brewery in Goffstown, N.H. He's one of the few GOP candidates focusing on the Granite State this year. Most of the Republican presidential field is focusing their money, time and attention on Iowa. Once upon a time, the moderates, the mavericks and the underdogs in presidential politics had a chance to break through in New Hampshire.
The shift toward Iowa, which hosts the nation's opening presidential caucuses on Jan. 15 shortly before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, began in recent years as the national GOP lurched rightward. But as New Hampshire's prominence fades further in 2024, it's unclear whether there will be sufficient oxygen or opportunity for anyone to emerge as a serious Trump challenger in the state best known for political upsets.
Indeed, New Hampshire Republican officials have been more willing than most to speak out against Trump. The evolving dynamic between Iowa and New Hampshire underscores a growing tension within a Republican Party that must ultimately appeal to both its hardline conservative base and moderates and independents who play an outsized role in the general election. Iowa’s presidential caucuses tend to feature the most conservative Republican voters, especially evangelical Christians.
And while there is real resistance to Trump in New Hampshire, his rivals are devoting most of their time and money to Iowa for the foreseeable future. She's in the midst of her 10th trip to Iowa covering 44 campaign events, according to spokesperson Nachama Soloveichik. Haley has hosted another 49 events in New Hampshire over nine separate trips, although a 10th is scheduled for next week.