Donald Trump didn't just want to win in New Hampshire, he wanted to beat Nikki Haley so badly that his sole rival for the Republican presidential nomination would drop out before the next competitive contest in South Carolina a month away.
The former president easily bested the former South Carolina governor on Tuesday, but his carefully crafted strategy to drive Haley out of the race fell short, denying Trump the chance, for now, to focus all his attention on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the November general election.
Trump, 77, was full of fury after Haley, 52, vowed in a Tuesday night speech to fight on, just two days after the other leading Republican contender, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ended his campaign.
"Who the hell was the imposter who went up on the stage before, and like, claimed a victory?" Trump asked a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire, adding, "I don't get too angry. I get even."
As he campaigned in snow-covered New Hampshire over the past week, Trump kept his eye on South Carolina, 700 miles (1,100 km) to the south, which will hold the next large contested primary on Feb. 24.
The Trump campaign spent weeks planning a show of support aimed at knocking Haley out of the race before the South Carolina contest, said Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser.
The Trump campaign spent weeks planning a show of support aimed at knocking Haley out of the race before the South Carolina contest, said Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser.
At a Monday Trump rally, Scott told media he had been torn between endorsing his former rival and staying out of the race altogether. Back-to-back calls from Trump on Jan. 14 and 15 persuaded him to act.
The timing of that endorsement, just days before the New Hampshire vote, took Haley's team aback, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. One of them, who talks regularly with Haley, said Scott's announcement "seemed designed for maximum impact."
Haley argues she would have the best chance of beating Biden in the Nov. 5 election.
"This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go. And the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina," she said on Tuesday. "I'm a fighter and I'm scrappy and now we're the last one standing next to Donald Trump."
She planned a Wednesday evening rally in Charleston, South Carolina, and campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters this weekend the campaign had locked in a $4 million TV ad buy in the state with the first ads airing on Wednesday.
