Haley Continues Campaign Despite Rout In Her Home State
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley continued to ignore calls for her to step aside after her devastating defeat to former President Donald Trump in South Carolina on Saturday.
The Republican challenger pulled out all stops to secure a sorely needed victory in the Palmetto State. Despite a barnstorming tour of her home territory, Haley succumbed to Trump’s dominance as his supporters flocked to the polls.
Haley spoke to her dwindling faithful shortly after media organizations announced the primary vote — as expected — had gone to Trump.
She said she witnessed her state’s “frustration with our country’s direction” and said she “couldn’t be more worried about America.” The former governor warned that the nation “will come apart” if voters make the wrong decision.
This apparently means deciding that she is not the best choice for the White House.
Trump defeating her handily did not send the message, at least within her camp, that it was time to step aside. The former president took a giant step toward securing his third straight Republican presidential nomination, and it would be logical at this point to unite the party.
The 45th president added to his previous wins in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. While South Carolina was never in doubt, if Haley was to make an unlikely stand it would be the logical place for her to start.
Only, that never materialized.
Despite her best efforts, a rematch of the 2020 presidential race between Trump and Biden is all but certain. For her part, Haley vowed to remain in the race until at least the March 5 Super Tuesday primaries.
She crisscrossed her home territory telling everyone within earshot that she was not going anywhere. Haley held far more campaign events than her rival in South Carolina but was unable to secure support from the state’s leading Republicans.
For his part, Trump declared he had never seen the GOP as united as it currently is. But he refused to rest on his laurels with the challenge from Haley ongoing.
The former president told his supporters, “You can celebrate for about 15 minutes, but then we have to get back to work.”
Since 1980, every Republican winner in the South Carolina primary but one went on to secure the party’s presidential nomination.
