Haley Doubles Down On Home State With Bus Tour

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley continues to plug along with her long-shot GOP presidential primary bid even after a devastating defeat in Tuesday’s Nevada primary in which the option “none of these candidates” received more than twice as many votes as she did.

After attempting to portray her embarrassing performance as evidence that front-runner Donald Trump had somehow rigged the process, the Haley campaign confirmed an all-out blitz in South Carolina ahead of the Feb. 24 primary in the state where she previously served as governor.

With a bus tour billed as the “Beast of the Southeast,” Haley hopes to gain some momentum in a race that has been dominated from the start by Trump. Campaign sources indicated that she will be stopping at dozens of locations across the Palmetto State beginning on Saturday.

Campaign spokesperson Brittany Yanick touted the tour as “a testament to Nikki’s hard work and firm belief that every vote must be earned.”

Of course, Trump is also planning to rally his supporters in South Carolina, where despite Haley’s close ties, he maintains a significant advantage in most polls.

The former president is slated to host an event in Conway on the same afternoon that Haley’s bus tour is scheduled to commence. 

Although Haley clearly has a lot riding on her performance in South Carolina, she reiterated her intention to remain in the race at least until March 5 — “Super Tuesday — when 15 states and one territory vote in the primary.

“As we get ready for Super Tuesday … just know, I’m not going anywhere,” she told a crowd in California following the Nevada primary. “I’m in it for the long haul and this is going to be messy and this is going to hurt and it’s going to leave some bruises. But at the end of the day, I don’t mind taking them if you’ll go right along with me.”

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, however, insisted that the time has come for Haley to face the facts.
“She has no path to the nomination no matter how many Democrats she attempts to win over,” he said.