Haley woos independents in final New Hampshire push against Trump
By Gram Slattery and James Oliphant
PORTSMOUTH/KEENE, New Hampshire (Reuters) — Tom Mita, a 45-year-old non-profit worker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is not registered with a political party. That makes him the perfect target for Nikki Haley, who needs independent voters for a chance to prevail in this pivotal primary state.
Mita is thinking about voting for Haley, he told a pair of door knockers who were canvassing on behalf of the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations outside his suburban home on Saturday, but he isn't completely sold on her candidacy.
He wants Haley, who has so far spared Donald Trump from some lines of attack, to go after him more aggressively. He considers Trump a threat to democracy for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. If Haley pulls her punches, he may vote in the Democratic primary instead.
«It's really about stopping Trump,» said Mita, standing outside his door, hands stuffed in his pockets, on a 19-degree Fahrenheit day. «Best scenario would be if she comes out and says that she won't endorse Trump for president.»
Voters like Mita, who are unaffiliated with either major party, will be crucial to Haley if she is to pull off an upset and beat Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Tuesday. She likely needs a victory here or a very close second to survive, following her third place finish behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week in Iowa.
Voters untied to either party are the state's most important bloc. They account for 343,000 of all registered voters, eclipsing both the number of registered Republicans and Democrats, according to data from the secretary of state.
Unaffiliated voters are allowed to participate in
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