Trump, Haley, DeSantis to campaign in Seacoast ahead of NH primary

PORTSMOUTH — Former President Donald Trump, following his Iowa caucus victory, will campaign in Portsmouth on Wednesday in advance of the New Hampshire presidential primary and on Sunday in Rochester, according to his campaign. Also appearing in the Seacoast this week will be his competitors, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.

Trump is returning to Portsmouth to speak at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside hotel, the Market Street site where the Republican received an endorsement from the New England Police Benevolent Association in 2015. The event is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m.

The former president is among the candidates visiting New Hampshire ahead of the state's Jan. 23 presidential primary.

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Trump’s trip to New Hampshire was set to begin in Atkinson on Tuesday night, followed by the Wednesday event in Portsmouth, according to his campaign event schedule. On Friday, Trump will deliver remarks in Concord, then he will hold a Saturday rally in Manchester before stumping in Rochester on Sunday.

Trump’s Lilac City speech will be held at the Rochester Opera House on Sunday. The public event will begin at 7 p.m.

In early October, Trump attended a closed-door meeting at the AC Hotel in Portsmouth. His campaign confirmed the meeting and stated it was with law enforcement officials but did not release additional information.

In December, Trump held a rally at the Whittemore Center on the University of New Hampshire campus in Durham.

Portsmouth has been on Trump’s campaign schedule in the past. In October 2016, a city car dealership hosted him for a rally. In July 2020, he canceled a re-election campaign event scheduled for Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.

Haley has moved closer to Trump in polls, will stop in Rochester

Former South Carolina governor and Trump-era United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley has been polling second to Trump in New Hampshire, though she was edged out by DeSantis for second place in Iowa. A CNN and University of New Hampshire poll conducted between Jan. 4 and Jan. 8 reported 39% of likely Republican New Hampshire primary voters would support Trump, while Haley trailed him at 32%.

Polling averages from RealClear Politics show a different story, however. Between Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, the organization found that Trump was averaging 43.5% in New Hampshire Republican primary polls, while Haley averaged 29.3%. Behind them were now-former GOP 2024 presidential candidate Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former biotech executive and author Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out of the race after Iowa.

Haley, who received a key New Hampshire endorsement from Gov. Chris Sununu, was set to hold a Tuesday night event at Bretton Woods.

On Wednesday, Haley and Sununu will hold a rally at the Rochester American Legion at 7 p.m.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold an event at Wally's at Hampton Beach at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Trump, Haley, DeSantis to campaign in Seacoast ahead of NH primary