MANCHESTER: Donald Trump cruised to victory in New Hampshire's Republican presidential contest, marching closer to a November rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden even as his sole remaining rival for the nomination, Nikki Haley, vowed to soldier on.
"This race is far from over," Haley, a former UN ambassador, told supporters at a post-election party in Concord, challenging Trump to debate her.
"I'm a fighter. And I'm scrappy. And now we're the last one standing next to Donald Trump."
At his own party in Nashua, Trump, 77, opened his speech by mocking Haley, 52, calling her an "imposter" and saying: "She's doing, like, a speech like she won. She didn't win. She lost ... She had a very bad night."
The former president's remarks followed a series of angry posts on his Truth Social app, denouncing her as "DELUSIONAL."
The next competitive contest is scheduled for February 24 in South Carolina, where Haley was born and served two terms as governor.
Trump has racked up endorsements from most of the state's Republican figures, and opinion polls show him with a wide lead there.
In New Hampshire, with 86 per cent of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research, Trump held a comfortable 54.4 per cent to 43.5 per cent lead.
Haley had hoped the northeastern state's sizable cadre of independent voters would carry her to an upset win that might loosen Trump's iron grip on the Republican Party.
Instead, Trump became the first Republican to sweep competitive votes in both Iowa and New Hampshire since 1976, when the two states cemented their status as the first nominating contests.
The result will likely bolster some Republicans' calls for Haley to drop out so the party can coalesce behind Trump.
Her campaign vowed in a memo earlier on Tuesday to push forward until "Super Tuesday" on March 5, when Republicans in 15 states and one territory vote.
The vote was the first one-on-one matchup between Trump and Haley, after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as Trump's most formidable challenger, dropped out on Sunday and endorsed Trump.
Despite Trump's win on Tuesday, exit polls hinted at his potential vulnerabilities in a general election campaign.
New Hampshire supporters were still able to vote for Biden by writing his name on the ballot, offering a barometer of his political strength. With 56 per cent of the estimated vote counted, according to Edison, Biden had 67.0 per cent, far ahead of Phillips at 19.6 per cent. — Reuters
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