Nikki Haley is preparing for what could be her last stand in her home state.
The former Palmetto State governor is gearing up for the Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, dominating the race so far and already facing another tough rival for the Florida governor. He will face off against former President Trump, who has dispatched Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, among others. .
Trump, 77, defeated Haley, 52, by double-digit margins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, but her campaign persisted, much to the annoyance of Team Trump.
“We don’t think much of her. This is like asking Taylor Swift what she thought about her crazy stalker getting arrested. Ms. Hailey is 30 in the polls in her home state. The points are down, which is kind of sad at this point,” one Trump official said with a snort.
“Her attacks have been featured multiple times on the Biden campaign’s Twitter feed. Frankly, she sounds like the Lincoln Project. It seems unclear whether she wants to help Republicans retake the White House.” So it’s unclear what she’s doing. She’s kind of an MSNBC pundit at this point.”
Polls during the race suggest a humiliating defeat could be on the horizon.
Winthrop University Survey This week, it was found that 65% of likely voters in the state supported Trump in the primary.
Although Haley tries to downplay her expectations for victory, she said last month The campaign argued she needed to improve her performance in New Hampshire, where she received 43% of the vote.
“If we win, that’s great. If we don’t, we need to narrow it down in the middle to give people in the Super Tuesday states a reason to watch and keep fighting,” she said. Told.
3 in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and American Samoa More than a third of all Republican delegates are expected to be elected in five primaries to be held this month.
Haley raised $24 million in a late-stage funding surge in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Her campaign committee has more than $14.5 million in cash, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Trump has already been publicly touted as a possible candidate by Republican insiders and allies in Montana and elsewhere. senator steve dainesSome predict Haley could stick around long after South Carolina.
“Trump will probably win by 25 to 30 points. He’ll probably win the majority-black counties and he might even win the city of Charleston,” said Ryan Gardusky, a longtime Republican consultant. He added that this does not mean that he is officially suspending his campaign.
Gardusky said Haley could remain in the race as a contingency solution if legal issues or natural disasters force Trump from the vote.
“She has nothing to lose by keeping her name on the ballot. She has some money set aside,” Gardusky said. “If something happens to Trump, she could be the only significant name on the ballot in many of these states.”
“And if he wins, she can go work in private equity.”
