New Hampshire voters weigh in on the key issues for them ahead of primary

Voters in New Hampshire will head to the polls and cast their ballots on Tuesday, weighing in on what looks to be the most competitive Republican primary race in the country.

According to 538’s polling averages, former President Donald Trump leads the pack with 49% support, former Amb. Nikki Haley follows with 34%, and before his exit on Sunday afternoon, Gov. Ron DeSantis had 5%. Trump has a double-digit lead in the Granite State, but it’s still a far closer race than what national polls show.

Haley’s competitiveness in the state comes down in large part to New Hampshire’s large population of politically unaffiliated voters who are allowed to cast a ballot in the Republican Primary. She performs better with that group than strictly Republican voters and also performs well with groups that make up a large segment of Granite State voters: people with a four-year college degree, older voters and moderates.

Ahead of the contest, ABC News sat down with Trump, DeSantis and Haley supporters to understand why they’re voting for their chosen candidate. A Haley supporter, who voted for Biden in 2020, said that if Haley does not win the primary, they will vote for President Joe Biden or independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A Trump supporter said they were committed to voting for Trump in a hypothetical general election, even if he were convicted of a felony before Election Day.

Immigration was the number one issue for some of the voters in the election, while another said leadership qualities were most important to them. Though there were clear disagreements among the voters, they agreed they want what’s best for the country even if they disagree about how to get there.

Editor’s note: The interviews were conducted prior to DeSantis leaving the race on Sunday.

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