'Weed themselves out': N.H. voters weighing 2024 GOP presidential candidates want some to drop out

During one of the busiest periods in the still early 2024 presidential campaign, White House hopefuls are making a civic pilgrimage to New Hampshire.

The Republican contenders are chatting with people at diners, coffee shops and bookstores. Some are trekking to the state capitol in Concord to sign their name at a historic desk to be on the ballot.

Others are sharing their messages through several town halls and other stops, including a GOP dinner that happens once every eight years.

Voters have a message, too: some of you need to drop out.

"It’s still early. There's still a lot on that stage," said Laura Williams, a registered Republican from Rochester, N.H., who plans to vote in the primary. "Let some weed themselves out, and those that rise to the top, you know, we’ll wait it out and see."

Whether Granite State natives or political tourists traveling across states lines to get a closer glimpse at the candidates, many are wishing for fewer options after what some called a disastrous second primary debate hosted by the Republican National Committee in California.

"Frankly, I was put off by all their debate performances in the last one. They were all talking over one another," Vaughn Annis, a retired chemical engineer, told USA TODAY.

"The field was too crowded on that stage to get anything as a meaningful debate."

Annis, a registered Republican who hails from Henniker, N.H., hasn't made up his mind on a presidential candidate, but he is giving Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott closer attention.

A candidate he would like to see exit this race is former Donald Trump, the frontrunner with a commanding lead.

"Where I have voted in the past for him, I think Trump needs to step aside and let others move forward, younger people in the party that aren't as controversial," Annis said. "I think that would be helpful for not only the party but also the country."

Trump rules, but N.H. primary remains fluid

A USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk University survey of likely voters showed Trump at 49% with Haley, a former South Carolina governor, the closest rival at 19%.

The non-Trump voters say they are hoping one of the other Republicans can break through, but they are by no means certain that's possible.

Larry Provencher, a semi-retired artist in Exeter, N.H., fears Trump may be the Republican nominee, adding how he believes the former president "just lost a few upstairs."

He said when interacting with voters, the other candidates need to share their vision in detail and forget about the frontrunner.

"You know, like, Chris Christie, I think his main goal is to get Trump out. I want to hear what else you're gonna do," Provencher said.

Those in the anti-Trump camp said they are hoping if some of the other candidates exit, they will unite behind a single challenger. In the most recent example, former Rep. Will Hurd, of Texas, left the race and endorsed Haley.

Haley, a former UN ambassador, has surged in the New Hampshire poll ahead DeSantis, the governor of Florida who was once held as chief alternative to Trump.

Norman Stuart, a veteran and retired machine shop worker, attended a Haley event at the Rochester American Legion last week. He was impressed with her, but he remains undecided.

Although Stuart said he was considering several of the candidates, who he declined to name, he stated emphatically: "I did not go to Wolfeboro to see Trump."

That provides a glimmer of light for the other Republicans, who hold out hope that despite Trump's strong standing in the polls, there are some signs the race is fluid.

Those surveyed in the Suffolk poll, for instance, are split 48%-44% when asked whether Trump's nomination was inevitable or whether some other candidate could win the nomination.

Nearly 4 in 10 said they might change their minds before the January primary.

But the Trump base is fiercely loyal, with 84% saying their minds were made up to back him and just 15% saying they might switch to someone else.

“I know a lot of people don't like him. I don't like his personality. I think it stinks," said Ronald Sassi, of Chichester, N.H., who wants Trump to win. "But he doesn't have any lobbyists telling him what he has to be or beholden to them."

Independents giving single-digit candidates a shot

Jo-Ann Jacob, an independent from Exeter, N.H., doesn't want to rush in making a choice before she gets a chance to hear from more candidates.

Several of the Republican contenders are "too much" in the sense they brag about themselves or insult others. She prefers the more somber style of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum or former Vice President Mike Pence, who she describes as more "down to Earth."

Both men are in the basement of the polling at 1%, according to the Suffolk University survey.

Other independent voters, who can participate in the New Hampshire GOP primary, said they aren't sure what to make of the current field yet.

“At this point, I'm really unsure,” Lynne Chase, a registered nurse who lives in Grantham, N.H., told USA TODAY.

Chase, who identifies as an independent, said she has "deep concerns" about the country's partisan divide, and how, "this is the pool that we have to select from."

"That's why I choose to remain a middle ground voter,” she said.

Other voters said they are drawn toward Haley and Burgum because of their experience and record as their state's chief executive.

“When you govern a state, you have a lot of experience in governing within a structure of government,” Patricia Squires, a Republican from Wolfeboro, N.H., told USA TODAY.

Distaste of a Biden-Trump rematch

Many voters shared how they aren't crazy about the prospect of a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024, but don't see a way to change that probability.

Rachel McKaig, a Democrat, said there is a general frustration that President Joe Biden will be the party’s likely nominee come next November.

“I genuinely wish we had another candidate,” said McKaig, a University of New Hampshire graduate. "I just can't see him doing anything amazing over the next four years, because he hasn't done anything amazing in the past four years.”

Given its status as the "first-in-the-nation primary," New Hampshire draws a fair amount of out-of-state visitors.

Those voters said they were impressed with lesser-known candidates they had a chance to see in-person, but admit there is an underlying pessimism that makes it hard for others to take that contender seriously.

“I just know that you look at the people who are ascending because that tends to continue," said John Sweeny, a retired appellate judge who came to New Hampsire from Hudson Valley in New York.

"The ones who were staying flat – it would take a miracle for something to happen that they're going to say, ‘Oh, wow, you're wonderful. I didn't notice you before. Let me pay attention to you now,’" he added. "It just doesn't happen."

Shawn Rieke, a retired technician from Johnstown, Colo. who is vacationing in New England, waited outside the old State House for a glimpse of DeSantis after he filed.

People may not like Trump's "crudeness" or the personal attacks he makes, but they agree with him on many issues, he said. They also think the criminal charges against him are politically motivated.

"At this point it looks like it's pretty much locked up," Rieke said. "It is what it is."

Republican Rachel Hannah Swift, 46, who comes from Hagerstown, Maryland said no one is happy with the prospect of a Biden-Trump re-match, and she has a unique response: Running for president herself.

As her colorful car blared pop music outside of the old State House, Swift said: "These politicians are kinda boring...They don't have a lot going on. I'm going to beat both of them."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thin out the 2024 field? N.H. voters want more GOP candidates to exit