Donald Trump beats Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis in first Republican primaries

‘Hard to detect a path to victory’ for candidates challenging former president in GOP race.

Andres Montes de Oca, Beacon Staff Writer

January 24, 2024

Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are the two remaining major candidates in the 2024 Republican primary process.

As the 2024 election season begins, which many see as the most consequential in a century, there is much uncertainty. Former President Donald Trump, who is by far the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is currently indicted and has been kicked off the ballot in Colorado and Maine. However, most political experts expect 2024 to be a rematch of Trump and President Joe Biden, despite both being highly unpopular among the American public.

The first Republican caucus occurred in Iowa on Jan. 13. It featured four main candidates: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Candidates Asa Hutchison and Ryan Binkley had little to no support. Trump dominated with more than half the vote in the state, with Florida governor DeSantis in a distant second at 21.2%, far behind Trump’s 51.0%, and Haley in third with 19.1%. The rest of the candidates finished with under 10% of the vote. In the aftermath of the caucus, all major opposition to Trump besides Haley dropped out, positioning Haley to attempt to prove herself as the sole obstacle to Trump’s nomination.

On Jan. 23 the first official primary election took place in New Hampshire. By this time, the race had devolved into a two-person competition between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, with Trump being the obvious frontrunner. So, did Haley prove to the nation she stands a chance against Trump? She lost by 11 points. Many are now calling for Haley to drop out of the race and allow Trump to instead focus on the general election and beating Biden, however, she has so far refused to give up, angering Mr. Trump.

“It is hard to detect a path to victory when you finish second in a two-candidate race,” The New Republic columnist Walter Shapiro stated, essentially declaring New Hampshire as Haley’s last chance to prove she could beat Trump.

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After one of the most important primaries of the year, it is more likely that the 2024 general election will be a rematch of the 2020 election featuring Trump and Biden, but Haley continues her campaign against Trump to replace him.

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About the Contributor

Andres Montes de Oca, Staff Writer

Andres Montes de Oca is a student journalist for the MAST Academy student paper, The Beacon, based in Virginia Key. Although it is his first year at MAST Academy, Montes is not a stranger to maritime activities, being an freelance surfer for the last four years. “We like to go up to Vero Beach or Sebastian,” Montes said, which is located in Central Florida south of Melbourne. Montes also spends time on a club swim team, where he has been honing his skills to potentially join the MAST swim team. When Montes is not in the water, he spends his time hanging out with his friends at malls such as The Village of Merrick park. Going to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School for middle school, Montes is more than prepared for the academic workload at MAST Academy.