FiveThirtyEight’s top politics stories this week

[FiveThirtyEight]( Popular in Politics Thursday, January, 18, 2024 [1. Where do Republican voters stand ahead of the New Hampshire primary?]( [Where do Republican voters stand ahead of the New Hampshire primary?]( The best-laid plans of politicians and pollsters often go awry. Thursday night was supposed to be the sixth debate of the Republican presidential primary, and [three candidates were originally lined up to participate]( former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. But Christie [dropped out of the race last week]( and on Tuesday, [Haley announced]( she would not participate in any more debates unless they were against former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. With only one candidate left to take the stage, [the debate was scrubbed](. [Read more]( [2. The party has decided — on Donald Trump]( [The party has decided — on Donald Trump]( Back in 2016, when former President Donald Trump first ran for president as a Republican, the party establishment resisted his campaign with all its might. Trump did not get [his first endorsement from a sitting senator, representative or governor]( until Feb. 24, 2016 — after he had already won New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. [Read more]( [3. What if Biden or Trump suddenly leaves the 2024 race?]( [What if Biden or Trump suddenly leaves the 2024 race?]( What would happen if a major-party candidate died or abruptly dropped out of the presidential race before Election Day? [Read more]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe](