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>Many Republicans who support Nikki Haley say they could never vote for Trump — and it could be a huge problem for his campaign against Joe Biden.
CHARLESTON, S.C. ― Donald Trump may have won the South Carolina Republican primary, but Nikki Haley’s better-than-expected performance here exposed glaring weaknesses in the 2024 GOP front-runner’s campaign that could hobble his chances against Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump beat Haley by 20 points ― an embarrassing loss for the former South Carolina governor, to be sure. However, she won about 40% of the vote cast on Saturday, a significant margin that, when averaged with her similar performance in New Hampshire, underscored that a high number of Republican primary voters simply don’t like Trump.
Those voters might prove to be decisive to Haley on Super Tuesday, when states like Vermont and Utah ― believed to have more moderate GOP bases ― head to the polls, possibly awarding her a much-needed victory and delegates. Haley so far has yet to outright win any of the GOP nominating contests.
Haley signaled on election night, though, that her campaign may have an expiration date, only committing, for now, to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, when 15 states and one territory cast ballots. Many of the states voting March 5 dole out delegates on a winner-takes-all basis — meaning there’s no prize for Haley earning even a significant portion of votes below 50%.
Haley and her allies argue her vote share says something about how Republicans view Trump and how the party will fare in November.
“Forty percent is not some tiny group. There are a huge number of voters in our Republican primary who want an alternative,” Haley told supporters at her election night party at a hotel in Charleston Saturday, confirming that she wouldn’t be dropping out after her fourth major loss.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-south-carolina-nikki-haley_n_65db61f5e4b0e4346d52bed8
CHARLESTON, S.C. ― Donald Trump may have won the South Carolina Republican primary, but Nikki Haley’s better-than-expected performance here exposed glaring weaknesses in the 2024 GOP front-runner’s campaign that could hobble his chances against Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump beat Haley by 20 points ― an embarrassing loss for the former South Carolina governor, to be sure. However, she won about 40% of the vote cast on Saturday, a significant margin that, when averaged with her similar performance in New Hampshire, underscored that a high number of Republican primary voters simply don’t like Trump.
Those voters might prove to be decisive to Haley on Super Tuesday, when states like Vermont and Utah ― believed to have more moderate GOP bases ― head to the polls, possibly awarding her a much-needed victory and delegates. Haley so far has yet to outright win any of the GOP nominating contests.
Haley signaled on election night, though, that her campaign may have an expiration date, only committing, for now, to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, when 15 states and one territory cast ballots. Many of the states voting March 5 dole out delegates on a winner-takes-all basis — meaning there’s no prize for Haley earning even a significant portion of votes below 50%.
Haley and her allies argue her vote share says something about how Republicans view Trump and how the party will fare in November.
“Forty percent is not some tiny group. There are a huge number of voters in our Republican primary who want an alternative,” Haley told supporters at her election night party at a hotel in Charleston Saturday, confirming that she wouldn’t be dropping out after her fourth major loss.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-south-carolina-nikki-haley_n_65db61f5e4b0e4346d52bed8
