'I Voted' stickers in New Hampshire designed by fourth graders
The “I VOTED” stickers handed out across New Hampshire today after residents cast their ballots were designed by fourth graders in the state.
Haley spokesperson responds to McDaniel: 'This is not a coronation'
RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said that if "Trump comes out strong tonight, that’s a clear message being sent from our primary voters."
"Another message we’re hearing is unity — from President Trump, Governor DeSantis, and Senator Scott," McDaniel said in a statement to NBC News. "Republicans know that if we’re not united as a Party behind our nominee we won’t be able to beat Biden."
A spokesperson for Haley responded that there’s still “plenty of time” for Republicans to rally around the nominee, who they say will be Haley.
"We still stand by our statement that this is not a coronation," the spokesperson added. "Two states have decided. Let more. People deserve a choice."
How the NBC News Decision Desk makes election calls in 2024 races
Here’s how NBC News calls races on election night, the steps it takes to verify results and the answers to some frequently asked questions.
How does NBC News project the outcomes of races?
Early on election night, the NBC News Decision Desk uses exit poll data to determine whether uncompetitive races can be called. Most races are called based on analyses of precinct- and county-level vote returns. The analyses also examine differences between early and Election Day votes. In close contests, a careful analysis of how much of the vote has not been counted is a crucial part of the process. No race is projected until the Decision Desk is confident of the winner.
NBC News will not project a winner in a race until after the last scheduled poll-closing time in a state.
What kinds of calls and characterizations does the Decision Desk make?
Here are the key Decision Desk calls and characterizations our audience can expect to hear from NBC News on election night:
Too early to call: This characterization covers two scenarios. The first is that there might be a significant margin for one of the candidates, but we have not yet met our statistical standards to project the race. The second is that there is not enough data to determine the margin with certainty.
Too close to call: The final margin between the candidates will be less than 5 percentage points. The Decision Desk will not use this characterization until we have statistical confidence that the race will be this close.
Projected winner: NBC News has made a projection that a candidate will win the race.
NBC News exit poll: Majority of GOP primary voters identify as conservative
Six in 10 New Hampshire Republican primary voters identified as ideologically conservative, according to early NBC News exit poll results. Among them, 24% said they were very conservative, while 39% said they are somewhat conservative.
Another 31% said they were ideologically moderate, and only 6% identified as liberal.
Half of Haley voters said they were ideologically moderate, while 87% of Trump voters said they were conservative.
Top Biden aide to leave White House for campaign leadership role
Top Biden adviser Jennifer O’Malley Dillon is expected to leave the White House and take a leadership position in the re-election campaign, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
It is a significant staff move, made in part, these people said, because Trump has consolidated support in the Republican Party faster than anticipated.
It’s unclear what exactly O’Malley Dillon’s role will be, but campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez will keep that title for now, a source said.
The person said that that was going to be the plan down the road and that it was simply accelerated now because of the shrinking GOP field.
Biden still has confidence in Chavez Rodriguez, the source said. O'Malley-Dillon was his campaign manager in 2020. She is currently the deputy chief of staff.
NBC News exit poll: Majorities of GOP voters would be satisfied with Trump or Haley as the nominee
Over half of New Hampshire Republican primary voters said they would be satisfied if Trump or Haley won the party's presidential nomination, according to early NBC News exit poll results.
Overall, 56% said they would be satisfied if Trump becomes the nominee, while 43% said they would be dissatisfied. As for Haley, 55% said they would be satisfied if she is the nominee, compared to 43% who said they would be dissatisfied.
Twenty-two percent of Trump voters said they would be satisfied if Haley won the nomination, compared to 92% of Haley voters. Only 11% of Haley voters said they would be satisfied if Trump won the nomination, compared to 98% of Trump voters.
Five towns to watch in New Hampshire’s GOP primary
New Hampshire reports election results by town, so there are lots of places to watch for clues about whether Trump or Haley are in for a good night.
For Trump, keep an eye on the southern part of the state near the Massachusetts border and towns along Interstate-93, places that tend to be GOP strongholds where he can run up the score with Republicans. And for Haley, watch places where former Ohio Gov. John Kasich overperformed in 2016, like Concord and some towns along the Connecticut River Valley in the western part of the state, which is home to some more moderate voters.
Here are two towns to watch for Trump’s standing:
Salem: This town on the state’s southern border with Massachusetts was one the most populated towns where Trump had his best performances in 2016, winning 48% of the vote. The rest of the primary vote was evenly divided among Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Kasich, who each earned 9% to 10%. It is also the hometown of Haley’s top surrogate, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. The highest share of registered voters are undeclared (39%), followed by Republicans (35%) and Democrats (28%).
Derry: Another town south of Manchester along Interstate 93, where Trump overperformed in 2016, winning 42% of the vote. Undeclared voters are also the largest share of registered voters here (38%), followed by Republicans (35%) and Democrats (26%).
Here are two towns to watch for Haley’s standing:
Concord: The state capital is the most populous city where Kasich performed best in 2016, winning 22% of the vote (outperforming his 16% statewide vote share). Trump underperformed here, winning 28% of the vote. Registered Democrats, who cannot vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary, make up the highest share of registered voters (40%), followed by undeclared voters (37%) and Republicans (23%).
Lebanon: This more sparsely populated city is one of a handful of municipalities along the Connecticut River, bordering Vermont, that Kasich carried in 2016, winning 25% of the vote to Trump’s 22%. Republicans dominate registered voters in this town (56%), followed by Democrats (29%) and undeclared (16%) voters.
And here's a city to watch for both candidates:
Manchester: This is New Hampshire’s largest city, where the results mostly mirrored the eventual statewide results in 2016, with Trump winning 37% and Kasich winning 13%. It also just elected a Republican mayor in a tight race in November (the former Democratic mayor, Joyce Craig, is running for governor). Undeclared voters make up the largest share of registered voters in Manchester, with 40% of voters there registered as undeclared. Thirty-four percent of voters are Democrats, and 26% are Republicans.
NBC News exit poll: Economy, immigration top list of GOP primary voter concerns
The economy and immigration are the top priorities of Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, according to early results from the NBC News exit poll.
The survey found that 34% said the economy was the issue that mattered most in deciding their votes, followed by 31% who said immigration, 17% who said foreign policy and 11% who said abortion. Iowa Republican caucusgoers expressed similar opinions last week.
Just under half of Trump voters cited immigration as the most important issue to their votes, while a plurality (37%) of Haley voters cited the economy.
Roughly 7 in 10 GOP voters so far today said the condition of the nation’s economy is not so good or poor. Three in 10 said it is good or excellent.
But when it comes to their own finances, 6 in 10 voters said their family financial situations were holding steady. Another 20% said their family finances were falling behind, while 18% said they were getting ahead financially.
On immigration, 51% of Republican primary voters said undocumented immigrants in the U.S. should be deported to the countries they came from. Another 45% said undocumented immigrant should be offered a chance to apply for legal status.
NBC News exit poll: New Hampshire GOP primary voters prioritize candidate who shares their values
A plurality of New Hampshire Republican primary voters were looking for a candidate who shared their values, according to early NBC News exit poll results.
Out of four possible candidate qualities, 31% said sharing their values mattered most to their vote, followed by 26% who wanted a candidate who fights for people like them, and 24% who gravitated toward a candidate with the right temperament. Just 13% placed priority on a candidate who can defeat Biden in November.
Asked how to describe their vote, 57% of New Hampshire GOP primary voters said they strongly favored their candidate, 22% said they liked their candidate but with reservations, and 20% said they disliked the other candidates.
The Smiths' Johnny Marr tells Trump to 'please, please, 'please' stop using their music
Trump has drawn the ire of another musician for his pre-rally playlist.
Johnny Marr, the legendary guitarist and songwriter for the influential English rock bad The Smiths, said today that he plans to stop Trump from using his music.
After reporters noted that Trump had made the band part of the mix (Trump appears to have used the song "Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want" at a rally in September), Marr suggested in a post on X that he plans to take action.
"I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this s--- shut right down right now," he wrote.
Marr joins Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, The Rolling Stones, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna and others who have all told Trump to stop using their music at rallies.