Nikki Haley sweeps 6-person midnight vote in New Hampshire

Voters in Dixville Notch have cast the first votes in the New Hampshire primary, with all six voters choosing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

“A great start to a great day in New Hampshire,” Haley said in a statement reacting to the vote minutes after it was recorded. “Thank you Dixville Notch!”

The tiny town in northern New Hampshire opened and closed its poll just after midnight ET on the morning of the state’s primary. Four registered Republican voters and two independents participated in the vote, in which former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, failed to earn support.

In New Hampshire’s northern tip, Dixville Notch is the first place to declare primary results because voters there cast ballots so early. Its midnight voting tradition dates back to 1960.

While the neighboring cities of Hart’s Location and Millsfield began midnight voting earlier than that, they haven’t participated continuously and aren’t conducting midnight voting this year. A fictionalized version of the three neighbors was featured in an episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “West Wing” dubbed “Hartsfield’s Landing.”

Midnight voting in Dixville Notch has historically been held at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel, which has become a media event over the years.

Recently, with the hotel closed and awaiting redevelopment, there have been questions about whether Dixville Notch would have enough voters, but the tradition has continued.

As its population has dwindled over the years, Dixville Notch’s hold on the mini-contest is a success story for local leaders – and a reason to smile for political junkies eager for an early taste of what’s to come.

In 2020, voters backed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the Democratic primary, but went on to support the eventual…