DeSantis, Trump to make dueling stops in crucial presidential primary state in 2024 showdown

NEWFIELDS, N.H. – Call it a 2024 split screen moment.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – the current top two contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination – will be holding dueling events next Tuesday in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar.

Fox News learned on Tuesday that DeSantis will hold a town hall in Hollis, New Hampshire. 

It’s the conservative governor’s second trip to New Hampshire since declaring his candidacy in late May.

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Next Tuesday, June 27, is the same day Trump’s scheduled to be in New Hampshire’s capital city of Concord, to keynote the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women’s annual Lilac Luncheon.

The gathering, which has been held for eight decades, is the group’s largest annual fundraiser. The event, which in the past has attracted former Presidents Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, was headlined last year by former Vice President Mike Pence.

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Trump, who in November launched his third straight White House campaign, is the commanding front-runner in the latest national and New Hampshire public opinion polls in the GOP nomination race.

DeSantis is a clear second in most surveys, trailing Trump but ahead of the rest of the field of Republican presidential contenders, who are polling in the single digits.

One of those candidates – former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – will also be campaigning in New Hampshire next Tuesday when Trump and DeSantis are in the state.

“This is a quintessential New Hampshire moment. This is when individuals across the state have that chance to potentially hear different candidates on the same day,” veteran New Hampshire conservative activist Greg Moore told Fox News.

Moore, the longtime New Hampshire state director for the influential conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, noted that this is a “key moment when we have the current two top contenders for the Republican primary visiting in New Hampshire.”

Pointing to the Granite State’s strong tradition of retail style politics, Moore said “it’s important for President Trump not to simply hold rallies with thousands of people, where he doesn’t necessarily interact directly with the voters.”

As for Florida’s governor, Moore noted that “Gov. DeSantis also has to start building out his brand in New Hampshire.”