Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley suffered a serious blow to her presidential ambitions on Saturday night time, when she misplaced her house state of South Carolina to former President Donald Trump within the Republican major.
Regardless of vowing to remain within the race, Haley faces an uphill battle to cease Trump from securing the nomination and difficult President Joe Biden within the normal election.
Haley vows to remain, not bowing out
Haley was the final remaining main candidate to oppose Trump, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out in January. She had hoped to enchantment to reasonable and unbiased voters who had been disillusioned with Trump’s divisive rhetoric and insurance policies, in addition to his authorized troubles stemming from the January 6 Capitol riot and different investigations.
Haley, for her half, has not given any indication that she’s going to bow out of the race anytime quickly. In an e mail to her supporters, with the topic line “The struggle goes on”, she mentioned she was pleased with her marketing campaign and thanked her volunteers and donors. She additionally mentioned she was not deterred by the leads to South Carolina, and that she would proceed to supply a “constructive and hopeful” imaginative and prescient for the nation.
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She carried out properly in New Hampshire, the place she received 17 delegates, however failed to achieve momentum within the subsequent contests. South Carolina, the place she served as governor from 2011 to 2017, was speculated to be her stronghold, however she solely managed to get 32% of the vote, in comparison with Trump’s 58%.
South Carolina’s Republican delegates will not be sure to a selected candidate after the first, which suggests Haley may nonetheless attempt to persuade a few of them to modify sides. Nevertheless, that is unlikely to make a big distinction, as Trump has a commanding lead within the delegate rely, with 293 to Haley’s 49.
Subsequent is Michigan
The subsequent large check for Haley shall be Tremendous Tuesday, on March 5, when 16 states and territories will maintain their primaries and caucuses, awarding 874 delegates, or greater than a 3rd of the whole. Haley might want to win a big share of those delegates to stay viable, however most polls present her trailing far behind Trump in most states.
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Trump’s marketing campaign has already expressed confidence that Haley will fail on Tremendous Tuesday, and that he’ll cross the bulk threshold of 1,276 delegates by March 12. In a memo to reporters, Trump’s marketing campaign mentioned Haley could be “damaged down, out of concepts, out of fuel, and utterly outperformed by each measure, by Donald Trump”.
What did she say after the outcomes got here in?
“I am a lady of my phrase,” she mentioned in Charleston, South Carolina, reminding of her earlier dedication to remain within the race till Tremendous Tuesday.
“I am not giving up this struggle.” She added, “Immediately shouldn’t be the tip of our story.”
The ex-governor and UN ambassador praised Trump for his win.
“I like the folks of our state, whatever the final result,” she mentioned to her followers in Charleston.
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However Haley mentioned she thinks Trump can’t defeat Biden within the normal election.
“Our nation is in bother. However right here’s the factor: America will crumble if we select incorrect. This was by no means about me or my profession. Now we have to beat Joe Biden in November,” she mentioned.
“I feel Donald Trump can’t beat Joe Biden.”
In her speech to her supporters on Saturday night time, Haley additionally tried to place a constructive spin on her defeat, saying that 40% of the GOP voters in South Carolina was “not some tiny group”, and that she had a broad and various coalition of supporters.
