Haley moves on to South Carolina despite GOP pressure to drop out

Nikki Haley faces calls to withdraw from the Republican primary ahead of next month's South Carolina campaign, despite publicly indicating she has no intention of withdrawing is expanding.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman, the Georgia Republican Party, and a growing number of Republicans have argued that she has no realistic path to the nomination against the front-runner, former President Trump. I urge you to resign.

There is an incentive for Haley to continue, but there are also risks. She is second only to New Hampshire with 17 delegates and could win even more in the upcoming primaries, making her an alternative candidate to Trump, who faces myriad legal battles. there is a possibility.

At the same time, Haley could be demonized within the Republican Party if her campaign ends up angering ordinary Republican voters who want the party to unite behind a strong candidate.

Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser said that by remaining in the race, Haley risks becoming “a disgrace to the MAGA community and to Trump and his inner circle.”

“She will be vilified in that area,” he said, arguing that Haley would be “seen as stubborn” in the face of calls from party leaders to rally support for Trump.

One of Trump's supporters at the RNC introduced a draft resolution that made headlines this week, calling the former president a He proposed declaring the candidate a candidate for 2024.

The draft bill argued there was no path forward for Haley and moved to move the party into “full-fledged general election mode, welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024.”

But while President Trump suggested that Haley should cancel her campaign, he quickly came out and called on the RNC to rescind the proposal “in the interest of party unity” and said the party “will not be able to vote at the polls.” He emphasized that the process should be completed.

The draft was reportedly withdrawn before it could be considered at next week's RNC winter meeting.

President Trump's move to intervene in the effort could have shortened the primary by counting just two states, but he won in South Carolina, Haley's home state and the next big test in the presidential race. This suggests that he is confident that it can be done.

“He wants to say, 'We went head-to-head, and I beat her skillfully, and I don't necessarily need the party to pave the way for me,'” Steinhauser said. Ta.

At the same time, it shows that the former president is aware of the rifts within the party and is seeking to pre-empt them when launching attacks against the generals.

“He needs to get Haley's support,” said Chip Felkel, a South Carolina-based Republican strategist.

Figures from New Hampshire show that Ms. Haley has the support of some disaffected Republicans, moderates and independents, and that Ms. Trump is relying on them in defeating her main rival. Voelkel pointed out that efforts need to be made to avoid alienating groups.

“We need these votes to beat Biden,” Voelkel said.

However, despite Trump's intervention to rescind the RNC resolution, he and his allies continue to increase pressure on Haley to withdraw from the race on her own.

President Trump has continued to deny the results of the 2020 election, trying to claim victory even while vote counting was underway, but Haley's positive portrayal of his victory in second-place New Hampshire was striking. He was angry.

His campaign sent out a fundraising email with the subject line, “Cancel Campaign!” MAGA, a Trump-aligned super PAC targeting Haley, said after New Hampshire that it was time for Haley to leave.

“Every day that Nikki Haley remains with the campaign is an in-kind contribution to the Biden campaign,” said Caroline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's national spokeswoman. I wrote to X.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the party needs to unite “around Donald Trump as the ultimate candidate” after Trump's back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.

And in an unusual move that drew criticism from some conservatives, the Georgia Republican Party Sometimes I was directly encouraged to do so. The party will “move to the general election phase of this campaign,” uniting behind its “ultimate candidate,” Trump, and allowing it to focus its resources on a direct showdown with Biden.

Sen. Steve Daines (Montana), head of the Republican Senate campaign team, also said: said this week The race for the Republican nomination is over, with Haley agreeing to withdraw from the race.

But as Trump's allies tighten their grip on the former U.N. ambassador, Haley is marching to South Carolina, which votes on February 24.

“This race is not over yet. There are still dozens of states left,” Haley said in her post-New Hampshire remarks.

“South Carolinians don't want a swamp in D.C. telling them what to do. They know this race isn't over yet!” she said. Said this on Friday's X. Her campaign is already running ads; Appear on Preparing for the South's first primary.

Still, strategists are divided on whether the former South Carolina governor will remain in the race until races in his home state.

According to The Hill/Decision Desk, an average of South Carolina polls has Trump leading Haley by more than 30 points, and some observers wonder if she has the momentum to keep going. ​and are skeptical that he is willing to risk local embarrassment. Turf.

Steinhauser believes the pressure to drop out will only “increase” as the next major primary approaches, and he doesn't think it's a “foregone conclusion” to stay on until South Carolina. .

But as the race turned into a head-to-head battle between Haley and Trump, Steinhauser suggested she was also enjoying the media attention, continued support from supporters and increased national recognition.

Voelkel predicted he would stay in his home state, and even if he lost there he might stay.

“She's playing the long game. Maybe she's counting on a little help from the jurors,” Felkel said, nodding to Trump's various legal battles.

Trump is campaigning amid multiple criminal charges, and some believe Haley is on standby in case the former president's legal battles curtail her candidacy.

She has leaned into the electability debate during her campaign, highlighting polls showing her faring better than Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head with Biden.

“If Republicans want to beat Biden, they should nominate Nikki Haley, because she is the only candidate who beat Biden by double digits in every poll.” “We won't cry, and that won't change even as millions more voters have a say in choosing their candidates,” a spokesperson for Haley's campaign told The Hill.

As long as Ms. Haley continues, the former president will not be able to take advantage of the joint fundraising agreement with the RNC that allows donors to maximize contributions and grow the former president's coffers in the lead-up to a long general election. You probably can't. motion.

“On days when the Trump campaign is focused on Nikki Haley, they could potentially go after Joe Biden,” said Republican strategist Brian Seichik.

“The longer this goes on, the more enemies she will have, the more she will accept, and the fewer opportunities she will have for promotion in the future,” Seichik said.

But Voelkel argued that Haley has probably already angered the former president in that regard and is therefore unlikely to win a post or other benefits in the Trump administration by resigning at this time. “What does she have to lose?”

Brett Samuels contributed.