Prez won’t be taking N.H. for granite this time
In the scene of one of his toughest election defeats, President Trump is looking for a little payback. And don’t be shocked if he gets it.
Buoyed by a strong economy and stalwart Republican support, Trump looks poised for a runaway primary victory in New Hampshire and is enjoying his highest ratings yet in this key battleground state.
Trump’s campaign has made the Granite State’s four electoral votes a top priority and at times seems obsessed with getting even for his narrow election loss to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
While Trump easily won the first in the nation primary in 2016, he fell by less than a percentage point in the general election — a defeat that still gnaws at the president who knows the importance of New Hampshire as one of the most prized political trophies in the nation.
That’s why his campaign is preparing for yet another trip to the Granite State and has amassed an impressive getout-the-vote operation north of the Massachusetts border.
Vice President Mike Pence mysteriously canceled his planned trip to New Hampshire two weeks ago but is also slated to return soon. And don’t be shocked if Trump himself shows up more than once.
The latest University of New Hampshire poll put Trump’s approval rating among Republicans at nearly 90% and among all voters at 45%, indicating that Trump’s latest controversy — his inflammatory tweet storm aimed at four freshman Democratic congresswomen — has had no negative effects on his re-election prospects.
Trump has little to fear from the primary challenge mounted by former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld. His lead over Weld in the poll is nearly 80 percentage points, an astounding show of support among Republican primary voters. And nearly one in three Republicans view Trump as one of the best presidents ever, according to the UNH poll.
In fact, it’s the Democrats who should be fearful of Trump stealing back the state in 2020.
Despite the two dozen candidates traipsing around New Hampshire and bashing Trump, the president’s prospects look pretty good, especially with the economy roaring along and unemployment at record lows.
Trump’s emphasis on immigration should also pay off in the Granite State among Republican voters and even some independents.
New Hampshire is still one of the whitest states in the country, and polls have consistently shown that Trump performs best among white voters, especially white males.
Can the Democrats counteract that strong support and keep the state in their hands? Party activists believe that their get-out-the-vote operation, fueled by raging dislike of Trump, will prevail.
For a state with just four electoral votes, it’s a dogfight that could decide the next president.