[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY IS IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR…
AND WE’RE NOW DRIVING TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY next month –WHERE THE CONTEST REALLY BOILS DOWN TO TWO CANDIDATES:
DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

SO WHERE DOES THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION STAND RIGHT NOW??

IN THE GRANITE STATE TUESDAY NIGHT – ONE THE DEMOCRAT SIDE… BIDEN – WHO DID NOT HAVE HIS NAME ON THE BALLOT BECAUSE OF NEW DNC RULES RECOGNIZING SOUTH CAROLINA AS THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RACE – WON BIG ON A WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN – BUT DID NOT COLLECT ANY DELEGATES.

BIDEN GARNERED NEARLY 54.8% OF THE VOTE –
WITH HIS CLOSEST CHALLENGER, MINNESOTA REP. DEAN PHILLIPS – ONLY GETTING 19.6 PERCENT.

ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE… TRUMP WON WITH A DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER RIVAL – FORMER U-N AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY.

TRUMP WITH 54-PERCENT OF THE VOTE…
HALEY WITH 43.

HERE’S PART OF WHAT TRUMP SAID AFTER HIS VICTORY:

(DONALD TRUMP / REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

“AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT’S GOOD FOR OUR PARTY. AND SHE WAS UP AND SHE WAS DOING LIKE A SPEECH LIKE SHE WON. SHE DIDN’T WIN, SHE LOST.”
“AND THEN I LOOKED AT THE POLLS, SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT MOST WIN-ABILITY WHO IS GOING TO WIN AND I HAD ONE PUT UP, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU SEE IT, BUT I HAD ONE PUT UP. WE’VE WON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE POLL IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS AGAINST CROOKED JOE BIDE, ALMOST EVERY POLL. AND SHE DOESN’T WIN THOSE POLLS!”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

AFTER SUFFERING BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT… HALEY ACKNOWLEDGED SHE LOST NEW HAMPSHIRE BUT SAID SHE’S NOT THROWING IN THE TOWEL JUST YET…

(NIKKI HALEY / REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

“THIS RACE IS FAR FROM OVER! THERE ARE DOZENS OF STATES LEFT TO GO. AND THE NEXT ONE IS MY SWEET STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA! [CHEERS] AT ONE POINT IN THIS CAMPAIGN, THERE WERE 14 OF US RUNNING, AND WE WERE AT 2% IN THE POLLS. WELL, I’M A FIGHTER, AND I’M SCRAPPY., AND NOW WE’RE THE LAST ONE STANDING NEXT TO DONALD TRUMP. AND TODAY WE GOT CLOSE TO HALF OF THE VOTE. WE STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO, BUT WE KEEP MOVING UP.”

HALEY IS HOPING TO MOVE UP TO A FIRST PLACE WIN IN HER HOME STATE – FIVE WEEKS FROM NOW – WHEN SOUTH CAROLINA HOLDS ITS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ON FEBRUARY 24TH.

DEMOCRATS HOLD THEIR FIRST PRIMARY OF THE SEASON – IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON FEBRUARY 3RD.

SO – IN FIVE WEEKS – WILL HALEY BE ABLE TO WIN SOUTH CAROLINA – THE STATE THAT ELECTED HER GOVERNOR TWICE?

IN A RECENT STATE POLL HIGHLIGHTED BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL –HALEY IS TRAILING TRUMP BY 30-PERCENTAGE POINTS.

SEVERAL PROMINENT REPUBLICANS INCLUDING FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS… AND SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR TIM SCOTT – WHOM HALEY APPOINTED TO THE U-S SENATE WHILE SHE WAS GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA… ARE BOTH ENDORSING TRUMP.

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM IS, AS WELL.

BUT ACCORDING TO A MEMO SENT OUT BY NIKKI HALEY’S CAMPAIGN TEAM TUESDAY NIGHT – THEY’RE BANKING ON STAYING IN THE RACE UNTIL AT LEAST SUPER TUESDAY – HAPPENING ON MARCH 5TH THIS YEAR – WHEN 16 STATES HOLD THEIR PRIMARIES AND 874 DELEGATES ARE UP FOR GRABS.

“AFTER SUPER TUESDAY, WE WILL HAVE A VERY GOOD PICTURE OF WHERE THIS RACE STANDS” THE MEMO STATED.

PRESIDENT BIDEN STATED TUESDAY NIGHT – THAT IT WAS “CLEAR” TRUMP WOULD BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE…
AND RONNA MCDANIEL — THE REPUBLICAN CHAIR WOMAN – HAD THIS TO SAY AFTER TRUMP’S VICTORY.

(RONNA MCDANIEL / RNC CHAIRWOMAN)

“THERE WAS SOME HISTORY THAT WAS MADE TONIGHT. WE’VE NEVER HAD A NOMINEE IN OUR PARTY THAT HAS WON WITHOUT WINNING EITHER IOWA OR NEW HAMPSHIRE. DONALD TRUMP IS THE FIRST, EVER, TO WIN BOTH. I’M LOOKING AT THE MATH AND THE PATH MOVING FORWARD AND I DON’T SEE IT FOR NIKKI HALEY. I THINK SHE’S RUN A GREAT CAMPAIGN BUT I DO THINK THERE’S A MESSAGE COMING OUT FROM THE VOTERS WHICH IS VERY CLEAR: WE NEED TO UNITE AROUND OUR EVENTUAL NOMINEE WHICH IS GOING TO BE DONALD TRUMP.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

IT’S LOOKING LIKE THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS SHAPING UP TO BE A REMATCH OF THE 2020 ELECTION:

TRUMP VERSUS BIDEN.