--- title: New Hampshire Primary: Republicans Fight to Be Not-Trump description: 'Trump’s the frontrunner and there’s a jump ball for second' canonical: https://time.com/4170578/donald-trump-new-hampshire-second-place/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-07T04:09:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:48.337Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republicans Fight to be the Non-Trump in New Hampshire og:description: A four-way race for second place. og:url: https://time.com/4170578/donald-trump-new-hampshire-second-place/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb30a83ef3bd05ecd/698877f2cf40a8177cc415a7/marco-rubio-new-hampshire.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at a pancake breakfast at the Franklin VFW December 23, 2015 in Franklin, New Hampshire. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republicans Fight to be the Non-Trump in New Hampshire twitter:description: A four-way race for second place. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb30a83ef3bd05ecd/698877f2cf40a8177cc415a7/marco-rubio-new-hampshire.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Fight to Be the Not-Trump in New Hampshire > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=5fb0bde6-d223-40d4-8f28-c6f5368c49d8&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Philip Elliott / Meredith, N.H.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Meredith, N.H. Senior Correspondent Jan 7, 2016 4:09 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at a pancake breakfast at the Franklin VFW in Franklin, N.H., Dec. 23, 2015. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at a pancake breakfast at the Franklin VFW in Franklin, N.H., Dec. 23, 2015.Darren McCollester—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott / Meredith, N.H.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Meredith, N.H. Senior Correspondent Jan 7, 2016 4:09 AM UTC Donald Trump can have his poll lead. The real race in New Hampshire, at the moment, is a fight to be the Not-Trump. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are clustered together in the polls. The quartet of skilled campaigners is increasingly sharp with their attacks, jockeying for advantage over the other. Meantime, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is hanging back, hoping that feud will leave them all damaged and give him enough time to continue his slow rise. In close quarters, the Not-Trumps are sparring on their records and temperament, their vision for the country and their ability to defeat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In New Hampshire, these arguments are repeated almost hourly as the campaign hits its final sprint ahead of the state’s Feb. 9 primary. “He signed anti-gun legislation,” Bush said of Christie. Christie fired back in a Fox News interview: “Does he think people on the terrorist watch list should be able to purchase guns? I do not.” Rubio is telling voters that Cruz is naive in his plans to carpet bomb ISIS and make the sands there glow in the dark: “Talk is cheap, though, because that stuff costs money. You can’t carpet bomb if you don’t have an Air Force and if you don’t have bombs.” And Cruz rumbled through Iowa on a marathon bus tour, his spokesman mocked Rubio’s shoe choices: “A vote for Marco Rubio is a vote for men’s high-heeled booties.” And that’s not to mention the millions of dollars in television ads from the candidates and their friends at the super PAC that are unavoidable on New Hampshire airwaves. **Read More:** [_Jeb Bush Cuts TV Ad Buys, Redeploys Staff to New Hampshire_](http://time.com/4164656/jeb-bush-new-hampshire-shakeup/) The fight comes as voters are starting to pay attention to the race, and, as is typical in New Hampshire, remarkably few have made a final decision about who will get their support. It’s making for a messy last month of campaigning after almost a year of remarkable détente. The sparring is hardly unusual. Campaigns always turn brutal toward their ends. What stands out this year is the candid assessment among campaign managers and advisers, pollsters and aides that the target at this hour in New Hampshire isn’t the frontrunner. “Nothing we can do will take him out, so why waste our time on something that can’t do what it?” says one senior adviser to a hopeful. “When we talk about this race, we have to deal with Donald Trump separately,” says a peer in another campaign. So that leaves Trump, the brash billionaire, to enjoy his place atop the pile of Republicans for the moment. His rivals are betting—praying, really—that voters will get serious and bring Trump’s polling advantage back to reality. “There is going to be a sobriety that kicks and people are going to take it seriously,” Bush said Tuesday night in Meredith, New Hampshire. “Our political system works.” In a separate [interview](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/06/in-interview-jeb-bush-hits-chris-christies-fiscal-record/) with the Washington _Post_, Bush said the race at this moment is against the Not-Trumps, not Trump himself. “Look, Trump’s the frontrunner and there’s a jump ball for second with five candidates, and that will be sorted out over the next few weeks,” he said. That’s not to say Trump is getting a free pass from those who are chasing him in the polls. “We’re serious times and we need a serious candidate,” Bush said. “We’ve got a lot of yappers. We have a lot of talkers. People are really good at it.” Others are stepping up their Trump swipes, while Trump continues to mock and insult them. It’s a very good bet that The Donald will not be getting invites to cocktails after the next GOP debate, scheduled for next week in South Carolina. None of this is improvised. The Not-Trump campaigns have their polling histories at hand. Leading in polls at this moment, a month before New Hampshire, is more often than not a liability. Leads are tough to defend, voters are fickle and New Hampshire’s voters are notoriously cranky Yankees. The challenge for those snapping at Trump’s heels will be to find a way to score an uptick in the polls and time it precisely. They don’t even need to defeat Trump, which might be impossible. They just need to be one of the two or three chief Not-Trump candidates leaving New Hampshire. And the competition for the role is starting to get tougher. **Read Next:** [_Donald Trump Casts Long Shadow on GOP in New Hampshire_](http://time.com/4167209/donald-trump-new-hampshire-primary/) ### See Donald Trump Hanging Out With Unlikely Celebrities  Donald Trump, owner of New York's Trump Tower, holds the bridle of a polo pony while talking to Andy Warhol on Nov. 4, 1983. Mario Suriani—AP  Donald Trump, Don King and Barbara Walters on Dec. 12, 1987. Ron Galella—Getty Images  Professional Wrestler Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant With Donald Trump. Russell Turiak—Getty Images  Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, his wife, actress Robin Givens and Donald Trump, leave the New York State Supreme Court building on July 22, 1988. Charles Wenzelberg—AP  Developer Donald Trump is flanked by super middleweight champion Thomas Hearns, left, of Detroit, and Michael Olajide of Canada at a news conference in New York on Feb. 15, 1990. Timothy Clary—AP  Alec Baldwin is joined by Donald Trump and Melania Knauss at benefit for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on October 8, 1999. Richard Corkery—NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images  Katie Couric, left, co-host of NBC-TV's "Today" show, is dressed like Donald Trump, right, during a spoof of his "The Apprentice" reality television show, on the morning program's annual Halloween segment on Oct. 29, 2004. Richard Drew—AP  Donald Trump and Larry King arrive at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, left, and Donald Trump appear onstage at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump arrive at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Martha Stewart and Donald Trump at Richard "Skip" Bronson's, "The War at the Shore" Book Publication Party held at Loews Regency Hotel in New York City on June 11, 2012. Sylvain Gaboury—Sipa USA  Tiger Woods stands with Donald Trump as he holds the Gene Serazen Cup for winning the Cadillac Championship golf tournament on March 10, 2013, in Doral, Fla. Wilfredo Lee—AP  Donald Trump and recording artist and host Nick Jonas joke around onstage during the 2013 Miss USA pageant at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 16, 2013 in Las Vegas. 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