They recognize Donald Trump’s dominance, but weary Republicans across New Hampshire, even in the governor’s office, are fighting to prevent the former president from winning the nation’s first primary.

For now, however, they rely on little more than hope and prayers.

Look no further than Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, who this week repeatedly appealed to voters’ faith as he attempted to revive his anemic presidential campaign while courting several dozen voters in the backyard of a former state legislator.

I do believe that different times call for different leadership, Pence told his humble audience. I know you’re all going to do your job because I have faith. I have faith in the American people.

More than a dozen high-profile Republicans are looking to New Hampshire, the state long known for its luster on political underdogs, to halt Trump’s advance to a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination. But so far no one has cracked the veneer of inevitability that has followed Trump through the early states on the presidential primary calendar, despite or perhaps because of his mounting legal challenges.

A significant portion of the Republican electorate remains open to a new presidential candidate with less baggage than Trump. But months after many of them entered the race, there’s little sign of the former president’s rivals breaking through.

The strongest Trump alternative on paper, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has already started laying off staff amid unexpected financial challenges and stagnant polls. Others have failed to break out of the single digits in early polls. And as Trump braces for the possibility of a third criminal indictment, his grip on the party seems stronger than ever.

Perhaps more than anyone else, Pence has been swept up in the powerful undercurrent of Trumpism that has reshaped the political landscape for much of the past decade.

Pence barely registered in a new poll released this week by the University of New Hampshire. And he admitted this week that he doesn’t yet have enough backers to qualify for the president’s opening debate next month, an extraordinary position for a former vice president to be in. During multiple stops in New Hampshire this week, he appealed to voters to donate even $1 to boost his numbers.

Clearly he wished he could do better,” New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu said. You won’t find a better character and a better person than someone like Mike Pence. He’s just such a great guy. But his message, for whatever reason, doesn’t really resonate with people.”

Pence has managed to draw the wrath of Trump loyalists and critics.

Among those who dislike Trump, Pence is seen as an acolyte of Trump who enabled his bad behavior for four years. And those who like Trump blame Pence for failing to block the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory on January 6, 2021, a power the former vice president lacked.

Trump loyalists infamously chanted Hang Mike Pence as they stormed the US Capitol and his political standing within the Republican Party has never recovered.

I think Mike Pence is really destroyed, said Jennifer Horn, former New Hampshire GOP chairman. He can’t win. There is no circumstance and no race that Mike Pence will ever win. It is pathetic.

New Hampshire, a state that has traditionally eschewed type

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religious conservatism Pence espouses would be an unlikely place for a comeback for the evangelical Christian who launched his 2024 campaign in Iowa. Yet politicians of all stripes have managed to break through the years in a state that often rewarded those willing to invest time and attention.

Former President Bill Clinton became the comeback after finishing second here in 1992. The state also helped revive Republican John McCain’s struggling campaign in 2008. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a religious conservative like Pence, took a strong second place in 2016.

Still, the road to relevance for anyone not named Trump in 2024 will be steep.

Pence is essentially trying to reinvent himself as he re-introduces himself to New Hampshire voters. He and his staff have embraced a new mantra: He is known but not well known.

At his first stop in New Hampshire this week, Pence largely avoided talking about his years as vice president and did not mention Trump’s name. He introduced himself this way: I’m Mike Pence. I am from Indiana. And I’m running for president.

Pence’s message on the stump is a sort of throwback to the GOP’s conservative platform before the populism of Trump’s great administration took over.

He called for a muscular foreign policy, a renewed commitment to socially conservative values, and a sharp cut in federal spending. He did not mention his support for a federal abortion ban. He broke with Trump and also passed Social Security changes for those under 40 to ensure the government-backed safety net program is financially stable.

He spoke with authority, but Pence’s political challenges loomed as he toured New Hampshire.

The host of Wednesday’s event, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Clegg, encouraged each participant to donate $1 to the Pence campaign to ensure they reach the 40,000 individual donor threshold set by the Republican National Committee to qualify.

They can give more, Pence joked with a smile. He later added, “We worked around the clock to make sure we get enough donors to be on that debate stage.”

Despite some chuckles, Pence’s allies privately acknowledge that failing to qualify for the first GOP debate would be a political death sentence.

Pence’s national chairman, veteran Republican strategist Chip Saltsman, would only say, We’ll get there when asked how close the campaign was to the donor threshold.

Saltsman dismissed Pence’s struggle as a by-product of the overcrowded field, which included wealthy candidates like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who offered gift cards to donors, and others like DeSantis, whose allied super-PAC raised more than $100 million.

It’s a lot of ebbs and flows, Saltsman said. And one thing I know for sure is that I haven’t seen a frontrunner in the summer make it to the Iowa Caucus or the New Hampshire primary in the winter.

New Hampshire governor Sununu is also betting on the weight of history to help stop Trump. He noted that primary voters typically wait until a few weeks before the primary to finalize their decision.

The New Hampshire primary is still six months away.

In an interview, Sununu warned Trump has no chance of winning the general election and would drag the rest of the party with him if he votes in November.

I hope most people come to their senses, Sununu said. There is still plenty of time to complete this rollercoaster ride.”

Meanwhile, Pence seeks the help of a higher power.

This is a nation of faith, he told the modest gathering of primary voters gathered in Clegg’s backyard. As we lead our party into a future based on the time-honored conservative principles that have led our party to victory and success for the American people over the past 50 years, and as we renew our faith in Him who has guided this great nation since they first set foot on Plymouth Rock, not far from here, I truly believe that the greatest days for the greatest nation on earth are yet to come.