[FiveThirtyEight]( Morning Distribution Tuesday, January, 23, 2024 Your daily briefing from FiveThirtyEight --------------------------------------------------------------- The Morning Story [Sure, Haley could win New Hampshire. But then what?]( [Sure, Haley could win New Hampshire. But then what?]( By [Leah Askarinam](/author/leah_askarinam) Tuesdayâs first-in-the-nation primary could very well turn out to be this cycleâs only-competitive-in-the-nation primary. In most of this yearâs Republican primary contests, former President Donald Trump is skating to first place. In New Hampshire, however, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has momentum on her side. Her support in New Hampshire has nearly doubled since December, a trend that puts her in position to win a significant chunk of the stateâs 22 delegates, if not overtake Trump entirely. In years past, such an early success would signal that Haley is a serious contender for the Republican nomination for president. But thatâs not the case this year, with the rest of the primary calendar almost certain to eclipse Haleyâs brief moment in the sun. [PHOTO: 538s polling average of the 2024 Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire.]
538 Photo Illustration
PHOTO: 538's polling average of the 2024 Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. Haley is polling at 37 percent in New Hampshire, roughly 14 percentage points behind Trump, according to [538âs polling average]( Now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisâs withdrawal makes the race tougher for Haley, with so many DeSantis voters indicating in [polling that Trump would be their second choice](. However, the voters on whom Haley is most relying to boost her chances â those with a college degree â are plentiful in New Hampshire, making the Granite State one of her best chances to get a respectable showing. If Haley manages to pull off a victory, that would normally be a good sign for her chances of winning the Republican nomination. Historically, New Hampshire Republicans have a strong record of choosing the eventual party nominee. Four of the last five elected Republican presidents won the New Hampshire primary before taking the oath of office. The exception is George W. Bush, who lost the New Hampshire primary to the late Sen. John McCain in 2000. (Weâre not counting former President Gerald Ford, who ascended to the presidency.) New Hampshire winners tend to become the GOP nominee Winners of Republican presidential primaries in New Hampshire since 1968 and whether they won the nomination Year New Hampshire winner New Hampshire Vote share Won GOP nomination?
2020 Donald Trump* 84% â
2016 Donald Trump 35 â
2012 Mitt Romney 39 â
2008 John McCain 37 â
2004 George W. Bush* 80 â
2000 John McCain 49
1996 Pat Buchanan 27
1992 George H.W. Bush* 53 â
1988 George H.W. Bush 38 â
1984 Ronald Reagan* 86 â
1980 Ronald Reagan 50 â
1976 Gerald Ford* 50 â
1972 Richard Nixon* 68 â
1968 Richard Nixon 78 â *Incumbents. Sources: New Hampshire Public Radio, CQ Almanac But the 2024 primary is unlike anything weâve seen in recent history, with a one-term, former president [running far ahead of the competition](. In Iowa, Trump led the second-place candidate by 30 points, [a record for the first-in-the-nation caucus]( and Trump has already consolidated two-thirds of the Republican electorate in [national polling](. Trumpâs toughest state in the primary could end up being New Hampshire, but thatâs only because the stateâs GOP electorate is no longer representative of the Republican electorate at large. New Hampshire has a high population of college-educated residents, a demographic thatâs been fleeing the Republican Party for decades. Those who remain in the party still tend to favor Trump â after all, being a Trump supporter is becoming a necessity in the Republican Party these days. However, most of Trumpâs support comes from white, working-class voters who donât have a college degree. College-educated voters who remain in the Republican Party â as well as those who have left and now are registered as independents â are key to Haleyâs chances of pulling off a victory in New Hampshire. While college-educated voters nationally remain more likely to support Trump than Haley, Haley recently matched Trump among college-educated voters in New Hampshire, [according to a 538 analysis of polling](. New Hampshire ranks eighth in the country in its share of adults over age 25 with a college degree, [according to the latest Census data](. Most of the other states that rank toward the top of that list lean heavily toward Democrats, but New Hampshire falls in the middle of the ideological spectrum, according to [Inside Electionsâs Baseline]( â a measure of how much of the vote a conventional Republican or Democrat could expect to win in specific states and congressional districts. In New Hampshire, Democratsâ Baseline advantage is just 2 points, meaning a generic Democrat would likely win the state by 2 points. Virginia is the only other state in the top 10 by educational attainment that is arguably a swing state. New Hampshire is the purplest highly educated state The 10 states with the highest share of adults age 25 or older with a bachelorâs degree and their partisanship, according to Inside Electionsâs Baseline statistic State Share with degree Baseline
Massachusetts 46.6% D+30.8
Colorado 45.9 D+9.3
Vermont 44.2 D+23.5
Maryland 43.8 D+29.6
New Jersey 43.5 D+13.2
Virginia 42.2 D+5.5
Connecticut 41.9 D+15.0
New Hampshire 41.3 D+2.1
New York 40.0 D+22.5
Rhode Island 39.6 D+22.4 Sources: American Community Survey, Inside Elections So if Haleyâs best chance of bolstering her support is to bring in as many college-educated voters as possible, New Hampshire is fertile ground. New Hampshire is home to more independent voters with a college degree than most states in the country. According to a 538 analysis of data from the Cooperative Election Study, 21 percent of voters in New Hampshireâs 2020 general election identified with neither political party and also had a college degree, more than all but four other states. But after New Hampshireâs primary, Haleyâs task becomes significantly more difficult. Nationally, college-educated voters are [becoming a slimmer and slimmer part]( of the Republican Party. And of the 10 states and territories that vote before Super Tuesday on March 5, New Hampshire has the highest share of college-educated voters, besides the District of Columbia â although there are a few states with higher shares that vote on Super Tuesday itself. New Hampshire has more college grads than other early states Share of adults age 25 or older with a bachelorâs degree in the states that hold their Republican primary contest on or before Super Tuesday State Date Election type Share of college-educated adults
Iowa Jan. 15 Caucus 32%
New Hampshire Jan. 23 Primary 41
Nevada Feb. 8 Caucus 27
South Carolina Feb. 24 Primary 33
Michigan Feb. 27 Primary 32
Idaho March 2 Caucus 32
Missouri March 2 Caucus 32
District of Columbia March 1-3 Primary 65
North Dakota March 4 Caucus 32
Alabama March 5 Primary 29
Alaska March 5 Primary 31
Arkansas March 5 Primary 25
California March 5 Primary 37
Colorado March 5 Primary 46
Maine March 5 Primary 36
Massachusetts March 5 Primary 47
Minnesota March 5 Primary 39
North Carolina March 5 Primary 36
Oklahoma March 5 Primary 29
Tennessee March 5 Primary 31
Texas March 5 Primary 34
Utah March 5 Primary 38
Vermont March 5 Primary 44
Virginia March 5 Primary 42 American Community Survey 1-year estimates are unavailable for the Virgin Islands, which holds its caucus Feb. 8. Source: American Community Survey All thatâs to say that, if Haley is relying on college-educated Republicans, New Hampshire is likely one of her strongest states. But itâs a pretty low bar, with Trumpâs grasp on the Republican Party as strong as ever. And remember that college-educated voters outside of New Hampshire are still more likely to support Trump than Haley. So even if Haley wins the New Hampshire primary â or places a strong second â weâre unlikely to see Trumpâs chances of actually winning the nomination shrink. Mary Radcliffe and Holly Fuong contributed research. CORRECTION (Jan. 22, 2024, 6:00 p.m.): A previous version of this article stated that nine states and territories vote before Super Tuesday on March 5. The article has been updated to include the District of Columbia, which votes March 1-3. Footnotes *All numbers are as of Jan. 22 at 5 p.m. Eastern. [Read more]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser](
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