Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley needs a “realistic path” to win the primary to win the White House, Republican strategists told Fox News Digital.
Following Haley's loss to former President Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Fox News Digital reached out to several Republican strategists for their thoughts.
Vice President Matt Gorman, who is aiming to win, told Fox News Digital that the campaign is not over yet, but Haley's campaign needs a “realistic path” to win in future primaries. he said.
New Hampshire primary results: Donald Trump, Joe Biden win Granite State
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley needs a “realistic path” to win in the primary, Republican strategists say. (Catherine Gamble/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It's not over yet, but Haley needs to give her supporters, donors and the press a realistic path forward on how she can actually start winning,” Gorman said.
Although Haley did not win the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary, she continues to campaign as the Republican primary heads to her home state of South Carolina. Haley's victory in South Carolina would be an important step in her presidential ambitions.
“President Trump has dominated these primaries and has the advantage of being a kind of pseudo-incumbent,” Jimmy Keady, founder and president of JLK Political Strategies, told Fox News Digital. he said.
“Voters across the country remember the good things about his presidency: a stronger economy, safer borders, respect abroad. His presidency is fresh in voters' minds,” Keady said.
“Importantly, candidates and their consultants need to capitalize on that momentum and ensure it doesn't get lost as it has in the past,” he continued. “In the coming weeks, we will see mobilizing support from Republican leaders across the country.”
“It's up to one side or the other to build on the momentum coming out of New Hampshire,” he added.
“President Trump is dominating these primaries and has the advantage of being a kind of pseudo-incumbent,” said Jimmy Keady, founder and president of JLK Political Strategies. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Matt Woking, vice president of communications at Axiom Strategies, who previously worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Never Back Down super PAC, told Fox News Digital: “It shows that Trump is both weak and strong among Republican voters.” Among a wide range of voters who will decide the outcome of November's general election. ”
“Ms. Haley cannot rely on non-Republican voters to win the Republican primary, and she is unlikely to remain a candidate come March,” Woking said. “The only question is whether she quits before or after South Carolina.”
Trump won the New Hampshire primary by a wide margin, securing 54% of the vote to Haley's 43%. Still, Haley vowed to continue his campaign through the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary.
“There will be no coronation in this country,” Haley's spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas told Fox News Digital.
“We are having an election,” Perez-Cubas said. “Political elites can support Donald Trump, but Nikki Haley continues to fight for nearly 50% of Republican primary voters and 70% of all Americans who don't want a rematch between Biden and Trump. right.”
But some Republican strategists remain unsure of the path forward for the former governor. “Iowa and New Hampshire confirmed what we've known for months: the leading states in the Republican nominating process,” said Aaron Evans, national Republican strategist and president of Winning Republican Strategies. There's only one candidate who can do that, and that's President Trump.”
“Despite all the efforts of her competitors, the vast majority of Republican voters are still all-in on Trump. Haley's loss in New Hampshire is a state she had been told she could win. “The loss of her home southern state is a huge blow to the Carolinas. The blow to the Carolinas in the coming weeks will be even bigger. The optimism and hope from a failed campaign is It’s not a strategy.”
Evans added: “It didn't work out for Ron DeSantis, and it won't work out for Nikki Haley. President Trump will definitely be the Republican nominee.”
“President Trump's team has set up clinics in every state that has run this cycle,” John Ashbrook, Republican strategist at Calvary LLC, told Fox News Digital.
“Nicki's campaign is incredibly talented, and President Trump's victory is a testament to the professional machine he has built,” Ashbrook said.
A billboard outside the state capitol in Concord, New Hampshire, spotlights the state's valuable position over the past century in hosting presidential primaries. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
FOX News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
The strategists' comments came after Haley lost to Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
Trump became the first Republican candidate since 1976 to win competitive races in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.
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DeSantis ended his campaign two days before the primary, effectively turning it into a head-to-head battle between Trump and Haley.
A Fox News voter analysis of nearly 2,000 New Hampshire Republican primary voters paints a picture of a significantly closer race than the Iowa caucuses, which Trump won by 30 points. .
The Fox News Polling Unit contributed to the report.
