Donald Trump’s campaign is shifting focus to New Hampshire and sharpening its attacks on GOP rival Nikki Haley as it seeks to combat her recent rise in the polls, which has been fueled largely by support from independent and moderate voters.
In recent weeks, Trump’s campaign launched a series of television ads attacking the former South Carolina governor on immigration, something Trump’s team views as a top issue for Republicans in New Hampshire.
“One reason was to instill a ceiling with Republicans and right leaning independents,” a senior Trump adviser said of the ads.
The campaign also released ads hitting Haley on her calls to reform social security and Medicare, with the intention of reaching independent and left-leaning voters.
According to the adviser, Trump’s team believes that potential Haley voters in the state are moderate to left-leaning independents who are able to vote in the primary. A recent CNN poll had Haley trimming Trump’s lead down to single digits, winning 55% of self-identified moderate voters, while Trump secured 60% of those who identified as conservative.
Advisers to Trump insist the former president will win the New Hampshire primary, however, they have expressed some concern over Haley’s recent poll performance. Originally, Trump was only slated to do a few events in New Hampshire between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire’s primary, but he has now added events almost every day before the ballots are set to be cast on January 23.
Trump advisers also said that they believe that Vivek Ramaswamy’s exit from the primary race can only benefit Trump.
