Polls have begun to close in the New Hampshire primary as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination Donald Trump seeks to cement his dominant lead over rival Nikki Haley, the contest now a two-horse race after Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped out.

       Ms Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Mr Trump’s own ambassador to the United Nations, is in need of momentum coming out of the Granite State if she is to mount a serious challenge to the ex-president’s journey to the nomination.

       While the difference between them is expected to be much narrower than it was in last week’s Iowa Caucuses, Mr Trump has a commanding polling lead going into the primary, with a CNN poll over the weekend giving him an 11-point lead and a Washington Post survey putting it at closer to 18.

       However, Ms Haley remains defiant and began primary day by picking up all six votes in the small town of Dixville Notch, the first to cast its votes.

       Meanwhile, President Joe Biden did not appear on Democratic ballot papers following a feud with organisers, but a write-in campaign is expected to ensure that his presence is felt.