The much-fabled power of New Hampshire’s fiercely independent voters wasn’t enough to break the spell Donald J. Trump has cast over the Republican Party.
Brushing aside Nikki Haley a little over a week after he steamrolled her and Ron DeSantis in Iowa, Mr. Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate who was not a White House incumbent to carry the nation’s first two contests. His winning margin of 11 percentage points in moderate New Hampshire demonstrated his ironclad control of the party’s hard-right base and set him on what could very well be a short march to the nomination.
For Ms. Haley, the former South Carolina governor, it was a disappointing finish in a state she had poured considerable resources into carrying. Her efforts to cobble together a coalition of independents and anti-Trump Republicans, with support from the state’s popular governor, were no match for Mr. Trump’s legions of loyalists.
Even though Ms. Haley is vowing to fight on, the difficult terrain ahead in South Carolina means that this first-in-the-nation primary could turn out to be the last.
Here are five takeaways.
Trump demonstrated his command of the G.O.P. in a purple state.
In 2016, Mr. Trump’s win in New Hampshire put him on a path to the nomination and ultimately the presidency.
Eight years later, the state delivered again for him.
He performed well across nearly every demographic group, according to exit polls. He won every age group, among men and women.
In the final days, Mr. Trump sought to project an air of inevitability, hoping to avoid a protracted and costly fight as he resists efforts to convict him in a criminal trial before Election Day in November.
His success in New Hampshire was likely to lead to more pressure on Ms. Haley to drop out from his Republican allies, who include senators, House members and governors.
He won more than 50 percent of the vote, although his margin of victory decreased significantly from the primary in 2016, when he won New Hampshire by about 20 points over a crowded field. And he fell far short of his 30-point triumph in this month’s Iowa caucuses.
He seemed visibly aware of that fact when he took the stage on Tuesday night, and signaled an uglier next phase.
Using an expletive as he repeatedly attacked Ms. Haley, he said, “I don’t get too angry — I get even.”
