Donald Trump secured victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary by obtaining a majority of votes, surpassing former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. However, a political analyst expressed on Wednesday that the triumph was less impressive than anticipated.
What Happened: Political analyst Brit Hume, in an interview with Fox News, characterized Trump’s win as not a “staggering upset.” As of 8 p.m. ET, with approximately 90% of the votes counted, Trump garnered 54.8% of the votes, while Haley received 43.2%.
The margin would be sufficient to keep Haley going for a while and she remains “alive and kicking,” he said.
Drawing a parallel to Ronald Reagan’s experience in 1980, Hume noted that Reagan faced a similar situation in New Hampshire but eventually secured the nomination and presidency.
“In 1980, George H.W. Bush came into New Hampshire, having beaten Ronald Reagan in Iowa — which Reagan basically skipped. And he was the frontrunner, and he got beat badly [in Iowa]. And he hung on in the race. He was careful about criticizing Reagan, but he did to some extent. And in the end, he ended up on the ticket,” Hume said.
Highlighting the need for broader support, Hume urged Republicans to mobilize beyond their party’s base for the general election. “Donald Trump.. he is very strong within the Republican party and much weaker outside of it,” he said.
To overcome President Joe Biden, Hume proposed that Trump might require the backing of Haley or a candidate possessing similar attributes capable of attracting votes from beyond the Republican base.
‘Insane’ Political Logic: In a separate interview, Hume said “There’s weakness there with Trump.”
“If you think of him as an incumbent, this showing tonight is weak, right? I mean, he should be doing better,” he said.
“There's no doubt about it even if wins, you know, easily and going away. Look, he lost in 2020. His candidates lost in 2022. I mean, he has a lot of losses on his book.”
Hume also highlighted a sore point in Trump’s campaign. “And it’s also a sign of weakness that the independents and others who voted in this primary were unwelcome, not welcomed by the Trump campaign and by a lot of his supporters,” he said.
The idea of not wanting to have the kind of a party and candidate that draws in people from the other party is an “insane political logic,” he added.
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