Published on January 23, 2024, 12:49 am

In the petite town of Hooksett, New Hampshire, as midnight looms, the initial burst of votes due to be cast in Dixville Notch will include at least one ballot favouring Nikki Haley. This revelation comes from Annmarie Pintal Turcotte, a local resident and one among the modest count of six voters registered for voting within this precinct.

Turcotte has confirmed her support for the former governor of South Carolina. Having met Haley in person, Turcotte finds her performance commendable and roots for her to be their future president. For Turcotte, it marks a significant phase as she embarks on her maiden voyage into the pivotal tradition of voting first in Dixville Notch – a hamlet notable for its early voting ritual that hails back to Neil Tillotson’s era, starting in 1960.

Even though the precinct comprises only six electors with four affiliating to Republican doctrines and two identifying as independents, their votes are crucial since they will set off an official electoral process leading up to designating primary contenders.

The stage was set by Neil Tillotson who originated this tradition. He formerly owned Balsams Resort where Turcotte is now part-owner. This quaint practice sets them apart as it fires up the figurative starting gun of the nationwide primaries each election season – quite an exhilarating experience!

Nikki Haley remains one amongst two contenders left standing after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently bowed out of the competition. Despite being viewed as likely trailing behind former President Donald Trump due to his strong Iowa caucuses victory and substantial polling leads, Haley maintains hope given possible resurgence owing to projected robust influence within New Hampshire’s sphere – a favourable climate further propelled by an endorsement from Republican Governor Chris Sununu.

While Turcotte had extended her support towards Trump during 2016’s Republican primary round, she feels currently that ushering fresh leadership is paramount. She praised Trump’s significant contributions during his tenure and acknowledged manifold ways that the nation prospered under his presidency. At the same time, she did not hold back in critiquing his downsides either, including the augmented divisiveness among Americans during his reign.

She remains confident about the productive and unifying potential Nikki Haley possesses for guiding the nation forward. Turcotte also expressed concern regarding impending global conflicts and suggested a need for steadfast leadership to stave off these conflicts; hence her backing.

Turcotte believes that Nikki Haley, due to her experience handling global diplomacy while serving as America’s ambassador at the United Nations under Trump administration, has proven capabilities of effective world leadership. She also voiced anxiety over a probable scenario involving another race showdown between Trump and President Joe Biden should Trump re-emerge triumphant during nominations.

Using Dixville Notch’s past election preferences as a lens – notably its 2020 endorsement for former NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg in Democratic primaries and a narrow favour towards Ohio Governor John Kasich vis-à-vis Trump in 2016 – it remains an intriguing wait to see how this small but significantly watched batch of votes sways this time around while maintaining their irrefutable influence on real & trusted news flow through a Christian worldview.