Nikki Haley is courting New Hampshire voters on Tuesday as she tries to keep her White House hopes alive by slowing Donald Trump’s push for the Republican presidential nomination and gaining enough support to continue her campaign in major US states, Reuters reported.

The former US president and Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, have been in a two-way battle since Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, recalled and endorsed Trump.

Polls show Trump with a wide lead over Haley, who needs a win or at least a strong showing in New Hampshire to advance in the next election in her home state, where Trump also dominates the polls.

Trump won a historic victory in the Iowa caucuses last week.

A landslide victory in New Hampshire would help Trump secure the party’s nomination despite several criminal charges against him.

The Republican nominee will face President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the November general election.

50% of New Hampshire Primary Voters Think Biden Stole Election

Early exit polls in New Hampshire show that 69 percent of Republican primary voters view the economy as either bad or not very good, an aspect that Biden has sought to highlight improvements during his administration.

Polls also show that 49 percent of New Hampshire primary voters do not believe Biden has legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, a false claim Trump has made since he lost. 50% of them said Trump would still be fit for the presidency even if convicted of a crime.

Trump had been predicting a victory in New Hampshire since early Tuesday morning, saying the level of excitement was unbelievable. Later, during a stop at a polling station in Londonderry, Trump briefly addressed his supporters.

“So excited. I’m very confident,” he said.

The first votes in New Hampshire went to Haley. Voters in the tiny northern village of Dixville Notch, which has always voted first in the state, chose Haley over Trump by a 6-0 margin.

New Hampshire, while also a predominantly white state with a small population, has a more moderate Republican electorate and a better track record in predicting the eventual nominee.

Haley finished third in Iowa behind DeSantis and focused her first campaign on New Hampshire.

“It’s a construction game,” she said in Manchester. “You just want to get stronger and stronger. This is our goal.”

Haley’s campaign team said Tuesday that it plans to keep her running until Super Tuesday in March, when 16 states vote.

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