Holly Ramer/Associated Press

With days left before the New Hampshire presidential primary, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley needs to win over independent voters while also peeling support away from the front-runner, former President Donald Trump.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Wednesday pledged to sign a federal ban on abortion but again did not set down a marker for what timeline such a proposal should encompass. Haley suggested during remarks in Manchester, New Hampshire, that passing one would be highly unlikely without significantly more Republicans in Congress. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said "no one has been honest" about how difficult a ban could be to achieve.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina says he'd support a federal ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Scott was in New Hampshire on Thursday was meeting with GOP officials and pastors a day after announcing his exploratory committee for a 2024 presidential campaign. Republican candidates are under pressure from influential anti-abortion groups to support a national ban.

New Hampshire voters would decide whether to enshrine the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary in their constitution under a bill passed by the state Senate. If 60% of the House agrees, voters would be asked in November 2024 whether to add language to the constitution mirroring an existing state law that requires the primary to be held at least seven days before any similar contest. It was one of two bills passed by the Senate as a rebuke to the Democratic National Committee, which last month approved replacing the Iowa caucus with the South Carolina primary in the leadoff position in 2024 and having New Hampshire share the second slot with Nevada.

Former President Donald Trump has kicked off his 2024 White House bid with stops Saturday in New Hampshire and South Carolina, The appearances in the early-voting states mark the first campaign events since Trump announced his latest run more than two months ago. Trump tells party leaders in New Hampshire that “we’re starting right here" and he says he's “more committed now than I ever way.” A sluggish start to a campaign he announced in November has left many questioning his commitment to running again. The opening events come at a critical point as rivals prepare their own expected challenges.

Republican candidates have given wildly differing responses to South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's plan to ban abortion nationwide at 15 weeks. A Republican Senate challenger in Colorado describes the proposed ban as "reckless." GOP Senate contenders in Georgia and Arizona have quickly pledged their support. And in Pennsylvania and Nevada, Republican Senate nominees are avoiding taking firm positions. The explosive issue threatens to upend the GOP's overwhelming political advantages just eight weeks before Election Day. Democrats have been quick to point to the measure to warn that handing control of Congress to Republicans could lead to a broader erosion of rights.