President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump often disagree, but they agree that it seems inevitable they will face each other in the fall.
Despite facing some opposition from within their respective parties, both of their campaigns are seemingly shifting their focus toward the general election.
Republicans have held just two nominating events, with Trump easily winning Iowa and New Hampshire. Despite finishing more than 10 points back in New Hampshire on Tuesday, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has vowed to stay in the race as the next competitive primary will be held in her home state of South Carolina next month.
Meanwhile, President Biden easily won the New Hampshire primary, which had no delegates up for grabs due to a change in the party's nominating calendar. President Biden as a write-in defeated Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson, who did appear on the ballot.
Despite the front-runners ready to move on, the formal process of nominating a president continues.
How Scripps News projected Trump would win N.H. once polls closed
The final polls closed in New Hampshire right at 8 p.m. At that exact moment, Scripps News was among networks that projected Trump would win.
Where the race stands after New Hampshire
After Tuesday, Trump now has 32 delegates compared to Haley's 17 delegates. For the entire nominating contest, there are 2,429 delegates, meaning it takes 1,215 to secure the GOP nomination.
Only 3% of all total delegates have been awarded to date.
Even though 97% of delegates remain at stake, the odds are overwhelmingly in Trump's favor.
Meanwhile, no delegates have been awarded by Democrats yet. Biden's overwhelming victory in New Hampshire, despite not being on the ballot, shows he faces little threat of losing the Democratic nomination.
Nevada technically comes next for Republicans
Both Republicans and Democrats will hold a primary in Nevada on Feb. 6, marking the first time the state has held a primary.
For Democrats, Feb. 6 marks the first event in 2024 delegates will be up for grabs. For Republicans, the primary will be unofficial.
Following the 2020 election, the state voted to implement a state-run primary through the secretary of state's office. Democrats decided to eliminate their caucuses and embrace the primary.
Republicans, however, have opted not to award any delegates out of the primary. Instead, they will hold a caucus two nights later.
Trump's name appears on the caucus ballot but not the primary, while Haley will contest the primary and not the caucuses. Simply put, both Trump and Haley seem to be looking past Nevada.
South Carolina still remains pivotal
If Haley is to have any hope of continuing her campaign into Super Tuesday, she will need to do well in her home state of South Carolina on Feb. 24. She was the state's governor from 2011 through 2017, so she has the name recognition in the state to compete with Trump.
However, polling suggests her campaign could struggle there. In a poll taken at the beginning of the month by Emerson College, Trump held a 54-25 lead over Haley. The poll was taken before numerous candidates, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, dropped out of the contest.
"You've all heard the chatter among the political class; they're falling all over themselves saying this race is over," Haley said on Tuesday. "Well, I have news for all of them: New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over."
Perhaps Haley could have a moment similar to Biden in 2020, who had been blown out in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, only to win the South Carolina primary and use that momentum to surge into front-runner status for Super Tuesday. But it is hard to envision a path for Haley toward the nomination without a strong showing in South Carolina.
Democrats in South Carolina will also soon head to the polls. The state's Democratic primary will be Feb. 3.
Trump, Biden zero in on each other
Speaking before supporters Tuesday, Trump portrayed dismay that Haley was still in the race.
"We have to do what's good for our party," Trump said. "And she was up, and I said, 'Wow, she's doing like a speech like she won.' She didn't win. She lost."
Many of Trump's supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called on Republicans to unite behind Trump in defeating Biden.
Meanwhile, Biden's campaign assumes that the current and former president will square off again in November.
"The results out of New Hampshire confirm that Donald Trump has all but locked up the GOP nomination and the election-denying, anti-freedom MAGA movement has completed its takeover of the Republican party," said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriquez. "With that simple fact established the choice that American voters will face next November. It's coming into increasingly sharp focus. It will be a choice between two visions for this country that couldn't be more different."
Despite the Biden administration saying it's focused on the general election, the campaign does plan to spend time on the ground in Nevada and South Carolina in the coming weeks. First lady Jill Biden will speak to teachers in South Carolina on Friday. The campaign also said it is planning events for Nevada.
