Last weekend, Republican voters in South Carolina went to the polls. Only Donald Trump and Nikki Haley remained in the GOP primaries. Despite bad polling, Haley was convinced she’d do well in her home state.
With 0% of the votes in, however, news outlets called the race.
From The Post Millennial:
Former President Donald Trump faced off against Nikki Haley in her home state in the South Carolina primary and was able to pull away with a win as soon as the polls closed. The New York Times called the race for Trump with 0% of the votes in.
By the time 99% of the votes were counted, Trump won 59.8% in South Carolina. Haley, who once served the state as governor, gained only 39.5%. Despite yet another major loss to Trump, Haley claims she is not dropping out of the race.
Haley was the last hope of anti-Trumpers of stopping the former president from returning to the general election. She had received major help from both Democrats and conservatives. But after this big loss, one donor is pulling out.
From Politico:
Americans For Prosperity Action, the powerful conservative group supporting Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, will no longer spend money on behalf of her campaign.In an email to staff obtained by POLITICO, Americans For Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel said Sunday that the group’s political arm, AFP Action, had to “take stock” of its spending priorities after Haley’s loss in the South Carolina primary. The Koch-aligned group, Seidel said, will now focus its efforts on competitive Senate and House races.
The large conservative group, Americans for Prosperity Action, is withdrawing support for Nikki Haley’s campaign. It appears the Koch-backed group had sided with Haley, hoping she’d beat Trump.
Now, according to its CEO, the group will be focusing its efforts on Senate and House races. There appears to be no word of AFPA backing Trump’s campaign.
Other large donors had dropped Haley in recent weeks, after she failed to prove she could overcome Trump’s lead. As it stands today, Trump has 110 delegates. Haley only has 20. With Super Tuesday a week away, it is likely Trump will continue to dominate—picking up enough votes to hit the 1215 threshold.
What Haley’s plans are to overcome Trump’s lead are currently unknown.
Key Takeaways:
- Nikki Haley lost to Trump in her home state of South Carolina.
- Major conservative donor AFPA has stopped donating to her campaign.
- Haley has refused to drop out of the race and will continue running.
Source: The Post Millennial, Politico