After recently being trounced in the New Hampshire primary, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said she would remain in the GOP presidential race.
Former President Donald Trump handily defeated Haley in The Granite State by nearly 40,000 votes.
While speaking to supporters in Concord, New Hampshire, the former South Carolina governor congratulated Trump for winning the primary in the state but said she would remain in the presidential race.
“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory tonight … New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go and the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina,” Haley said.
Nikki Haley says she’s staying in the race. She shouldn’t be considered for ANY job in a new Trump Admin if she stays in. This is feeling like a blackmail operation that goes like this: Name me VP or I keep lighting tens of millions on fire. pic.twitter.com/mnipsXaGJ5
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 24, 2024
During her speech, Haley referred to herself as “a fighter,” claiming she could perform better against President Joe Biden in the 2024 general election than Trump.
The former president rebuked Haley’s claims, noting that he’s won nearly all polls conducted in recent months.
“We’ve won almost every single poll in the last three months against crooked Joe Biden, almost, and she doesn’t win those polls,” the former president said during his victory speech in The Granite State.
Although polls show Trump leading Haley by 40 percentage points in The Palmetto State, the former South Carolina governor is confident she will win the forthcoming primary.
“Every time I’ve run for office in South Carolina, I’ve beaten the political establishment,” she said. “They’re lined up against me again. That’s no surprise But South Carolina voters don’t want a coronation. They want an election.”
The South Carolina GOP presidential primary is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2024.
Trump has been endorsed by multiple politicians in The Palmetto State, such as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tim Scott (R-SC). South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) also announced he would support the former president’s presidential bid.
During a recent Trump campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire, Scott endorsed the former president, saying, “We need, you see, we need a president who doesn’t see Black or White. We need a president who sees Americans as one American family.”
“And that’s why I came to the very warm state of New Hampshire to endorse the next president of these United States, President Donald Trump,” Scott added.