Former President Donald Trump’s winning streak continued Saturday after he easily defeated former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her political backyard.
It has beenn noted that the victory adds to the former president’s delegate lead in his pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination after besting her in previous primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
However, by handily winning the Palmetto State − where voters twice elected Haley as their chief executive − Trump may have sent a final, decisive message that despite multiple criminal indictments and massive civil judgments from fraud cases, he remains the GOP’s top dog.
“I have never seen the Republican party so unified, as it is right now,” Trump said during Saturday’s victory speech.
Haley’s underdog bid now shifts to carpet bombing the airwaves in the 15 states that will cast their ballots on March 5, better known as Super Tuesday, where a hefty 874 Republican delegates will be up for grabs.
The former president never seemed to sweat the outcome either. He told supporters a day before the election that “honestly we’re not very worried.”
“This was a little sooner than we anticipated,” Trump said Saturday evening.
Since his 2016 campaign, Trump’s popularity in the state hasn’t faltered, and polls have consistently shown him leading by a commanding 2-to-1 margin.
Joined on stage by notable Republicans from South Carolina, Trump refrained from mentioning his former UN ambassador by name.
That’s a big change from a month ago when he was complaining that Haley ought to withdraw following his victory in New Hampshire. Rather, Trump made fun of the fact that, in the Nevada primary, “none of these candidates” garnered more votes than she did.
Although Haley’s odds were always slim, many will probably wonder why she should continue to run in the campaign after she lost in South Carolina. It has been a while since the former U.N. ambassador won a primary election.
