DONALD TRUMP HAS won the New Hampshire Republican primary, making it look increasingly likely that he and President Joe Biden will face each other in a rematch later this year.

The last standing alternative Republican option, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, had put significant time and financial resources into campaigning for a win in New Hampshire but still finished second.

With around 91% of votes counted as of this morning, Trump pulled 11 percentage points ahead of Haley at 54.6% to 43.1%.

In the Democratic primary, Biden was not on the ballot in New Hampshire after not filing candidate paperwork in the state.

However, he won the state’s primary through a write-in effort against minor Democratic candidates. 

Trump has become the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since the two states began leading the primary calendar nearly 50 years ago 1976.

Haley is the last major challenger in the race after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis backed out of the race at the weekend. 

She pledged last night to stay in the race and push ahead to South Carolina, where she is a former governor. The state will hold the next primary that awards delegates where she will compete on 24 February.

“New Hampshire is first in the nation; it is not the last in the nation,” Haley said as the New Hampshire votes were counted.

“This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go.”

Trump currently faces 91 criminal charges related to matters including mishandling classified documents and seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Additional reporting by Press Association