Trump vs Haley: Where they stand in the GOP primary battle and how they match up with Biden

Calla Kessler/The Washington Post via Getty Images

With Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropping out of the race on Sunday the 21st, the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary officially became a two person race between former President Donald Trump and his former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Trump has maintained that Tuesday will be a smash victory for his campaign but New Hampshire’s voter registration numbers, where independent voters make up roughly 40% of the electorate, could be fertile ground for a candidate like Haley.

”I think it puts a nail in her coffin," New Hampshire based GOP strategist Mike Dennehy said of Haley. "I don’t think she’ll be able to keep under 50%. And I think there’s a very good chance that Trump hits 60% on Tuesday, which will signal the end of the Haley campaign and virtually seal the deal for the Trump nomination."

However, New Hampshire — where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party's contest and have long played an influential role in the state's storied presidential primary — may be fertile ground for Haley.

Veteran New Hampshire-based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News that DeSantis' departure from the race "narrows Haley's margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis voters are going to migrate over to Trump. And so it’s critical for her to do well in New Hampshire to give her some momentum heading into South Carolina."