WASHINGTON 

The US state of New Hampshire will maintain its first-in-the-nation primary come Tuesday when scores of voters will turn out in the northeastern state to cast their ballot for their party's presidential nominee. 

Ex-President Donald Trump continues to hold a lead in what has become the most tightly-contested state in the early days of the nominating season.

His former UN envoy, Nikki Haley, is mounting a considerable challenge, however. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once thought to be the only Republican capable of challenging Trump's hold on the party, dropped out of the nominating race over the weekend amid dour polling numbers.

Trump is riding high off his landslide win in the Republican Iowa caucus last week. A compilation of polling from the RealClearPolitics has Trump ahead by 18 points in New Hampshire despite Haley gaining ground in recent weeks. It is unclear how DeSantis' withdrawal from the race will affect the final figures on primary day.

Republicans are vying for 22 delegates ahead of July's Republican National Convention while 32 are up for grabs for Democrats. But it is unclear how the contest will play out for Democrats.

The national Democratic Party announced in February 2023 an overhaul of their primary calendar in a bid to give a larger voice to Black and minority voters.

Iowa and New Hampshire, traditionally the proud claimants to the first and second nominating contests in the nation, respectively, are overwhelmingly white states. In each, white Americans comprise some 90% of the population, according to the US Census Bureau.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) chose to move its first primary to South Carolina, where the party’s calendar has the primary taking place Feb. 3. It is to be followed Feb. 6 with the Democratic primary in Nevada, where Latinos comprise some one-third of the population.

The calendar shift has led to a showdown with state authorities in New Hampshire. State law mandates that the primary be held seven days before other similar nominating contests. Since Iowa uses the caucus system, it does not apply.

Democratic leaders are now in a showdown with state officials in New Hampshire. Authorities there are insisting on holding the Democratic and Republican primaries together on Jan. 23.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella issued a cease-and-desist order Monday to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee after it told the state Democratic Party to “educate the public” that the Jan. 23 primary would be “meaningless.” It called the contest a “non-binding presidential preference event.”

Formella, in a letter to the committee, said the instruction runs afoul of state voter suppression laws.

The DNC has vowed not to award delegates at the national convention based on the results of the primary, and it is unclear how the row will be resolved as New Hampshire seeks to retain its key role as the first-in-the-nation primary.

Most polls will open beginning at 11 a.m. local time (1600 GMT) Tuesday, and will close around 8 p.m. (0100 GMT).