Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called on Nikki Haley to consider withdrawing from the GOP presidential nomination race Tuesday night after losing the New Hampshire primary to former President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump is the first ever to win both [the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary]. I’m looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” Ms. McDaniel said on Fox News.
“I think she’s run a great campaign, but I do think there is a message that’s coming out from the voters, which is very clear,” she said. “We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat [President] Joe Biden.”
Ms. McDaniel also suggested that Mr. Trump should begin campaigning as the GOP general election nominee and select his running mate as soon as possible.
Other Republicans have urged Ms. Haley to drop out of the GOP nomination race, despite her vow to continue and compete in the South Carolina primary in March, where polls show her 30 percentage points behind Mr. Trump.
“Now, you’ve all heard the chatter among the political class. They’re falling all over themselves saying this race is over,” Ms. Haley, a former South Carolina governor, said Tuesday night in Concord. “Well, I have news for all of them. New Hampshire is first in the nation. It’s not last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go.”
However, eight state and congressional Republicans in South Carolina, including Sen. Lindsey Graham and Reps. Jeff Duncan and Nancy Mace, have endorsed Mr. Trump after his wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.
GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Deb Fischer of Nebraska also called on Republicans to unite around the former president.
“I have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice,” Mr. Cornyn posted on X. “I will be continuing to work to elect a Republican Senate majority and to elect President Trump in 2024.”
Mr. Trump’s victory in New Hampshire was the second time this month he won the majority in the party’s presidential nomination contest. With 60% of the vote counted after 10 p.m., the former president had 53.4% of the vote, compared to Ms. Haley’s 44.9%. In the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, Mr. Trump secured his victory with 52% of the vote.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson of North Carolina and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines of Montana stated on X Sunday that it is time for Republicans to support Mr. Trump.
“Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee. I am encouraging every Republican to unite behind him because it will take all of us to defeat Joe Biden, take back the Senate, and hold the House,” Mr. Daines posted.
Mr. Hudson posted on X: “Iowa sent a strong signal that Republican voters want the party to unify behind Donald Trump. He is the presumptive nominee. It is time to come together, kick Joe Biden out of office, and get our country back on track.”