Haley ‘not giving up’ despite home-state loss to Trump
By Ryan General
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she intends to continue her campaign despite a historic loss in her home state of South Carolina.
Not giving up: Haley, the sole remaining rival of former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race, was first defeated in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands, before losing South Carolina’s primary on Saturday.
In her speech following her defeat, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador addressed her supporters, declaring, “I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight… And I’m grateful that today is not the end of our story.”
Why she’s fighting on: Haley said that she’s continuing her campaign because the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with both Trump and President Joe Biden.
“I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Haley said. “South Carolina has spoken. We’re the fourth state to do so. In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate. And I have a duty to give them that choice.”
Loss aftermath: South Carolina’s GOP lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Russell Fry (R, SC-7) and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R, SC-1), who endorsed Trump last week, stood with the former president following the results, reported the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch network that endorsed Haley in November, ended its funding of the candidate’s campaign.
An uphill battle: With the loss, Haley’s campaign faces the uphill task of gaining traction in upcoming contests in winner-take-all states, with the Michigan primary looming on Tuesday and Super Tuesday on the horizon. Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney acknowledged the challenging landscape, as per The Guardian.
“We know the odds, we know the stakes. We have a full schedule through Super Tuesday, we have plans in place and those key states in March after that. And so, once again, this is about who can be successful in a general election. This is about taking our case to the American people, letting them have their voice. After South Carolina we’ll have just a handful of states who have voted – after Super Tuesday there will be a whole lot more. So, we are going to continue to fight as long as we see that there is an appetite for our message and so far, we’re seeing that there is.”
Trump on the lead: Trump, who has won every contest this year, further solidifies his position as the frontrunner in the Republican race with his triumph in South Carolina.
“I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now,” Trump declared after the win. “You can celebrate for about 15 minutes, but then we have to get back to work.”
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