Former president Donald Trump won a brilliant victory South Carolina’s GOP presidential primary on Saturday, NBC News projects, continuing his winning streak in every Republican nomination contest thus far and putting him in office. potentially winning the party’s presidential nomination within next month.
The defeat of the former governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, is a big blow for her state. A total of 50 delegates participated in Saturday’s contest, which is split between a statewide winner and a winner from each congressional district. And Trump’s dominant performance in the exit polls and early results suggest he could win cleanly.
Despite facing criminal charges in four separate jurisdictions and hundreds of millions of dollars in civil penalties, the former president is now running for the party’s presidential nomination. He could reach the necessary 1,215 delegates by mid-March, with several states holding winner-take-all primaries on Super Tuesday (March 5) and beyond.
Follow live updates from South Carolina here.
The loss was particularly brutal for Haley, who served as South Carolina’s governor before becoming Trump’s UN ambassador. Trump’s victory could be the tightest in a contested South Carolina GOP primary since President George HW Bush defeated right-wing insurgent candidate Pat Buchanan, a former aide to many GOP presidents, by more than 40 points in 1992.
But Haley made it clear Saturday’s defeat in her home state won’t put her out of the race anytime soon, vowing to campaign on Super Tuesday next month. Now, he is planning a cross-country visit to these states starting on Sunday.
In a speech on Tuesday Explaining why she plans to stay in the race regardless of the results in the Palmetto State, Haley called Trump a “disaster” for the GOP, which is “more unstable and less willful” than when he first ran, adding that she “doesn’t need to kiss the Palmetto State goodbye.” ring”.
“And I’m not afraid of Trump being punished,” he said. “I’m not looking for anything from him.”
Trump, who held a major statewide event in the final days of the contest, paid little attention to Haley at a rally earlier this month ahead of Saturday’s vote. was questioned Where was Haley’s husband because he was being deployed overseas with the army.
Haley and her allies have repeatedly targeted Trump over the comments over the past two weeks, doubling down on critics of Trump’s talk of his marriage to Haley. his comments At the same South Carolina event, he once told NATO allies that if they didn’t increase defense spending, he would “hell” Russia into “doing what they want.”
“Nikki actually went too far to the left, she’s too rude,” Trump said at a rally in Rock Hill on Friday, referring only briefly to his opponent. “Do you notice that? “I hate to say it, but he’s very rude.”
Trump maintained a wide lead in public opinion polls released ahead of Saturday’s contest. But Haley’s lone congressional supporter, RSC Rep. Ralph Norman, predicted Saturday that Haley would “overwhelm” those polls.
“It’s not going to be 30 points,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes, take it state by state. I admire him for doing that. All those who want him to come out do not work.”
Haley and allies gradually targeted independent and Democratic-leaning voters the last days of the electionAny voter who did not vote in the Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary is eligible to vote in Saturday’s contest. Turnout in the Democratic primary was just 130,000, a significant drop from recent election cycles.
Haley and her main super PAC spent more on ads through Tuesday, In South Carolina, Trump is outnumbered by about 10-1.
Still, the deficit Haley faced against Trump was too much for her to handle. With Trump’s victory seemingly in the bag for weeks, Trump family members asked in Beaufort, like his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, whom the former president endorsed to serve as co-chair of the Republican National Committee: “Why is he still in the race?”
Speaking to reporters after the event, Trump’s daughter-in-law suggested Haley should only stay in the race because she hopes the former president will be prosecuted before Election Day.
“I can only assume, and I think what a lot of people are assuming, that you’re only going to stay there if you bank on the least democratic and least American thing that happens in this situation, which is potentially one of those charges. Takes out Donald Trump. “, he said.
Meanwhile, the former president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., told NBC News during a question-and-answer session with reporters that Haley is only staying in the race “because she’s trying to hurt Trump” and that it will benefit him financially. .
“It’s purely about future wages,” he said. “And there’s literally no other excuse for it. And we all know that, if we’re being intellectually honest.”
At a Georgetown rally Thursday, Haley said she wasn’t concerned with how a presidential bid would affect her political future.
“At first they wanted to say I wanted to be vice president,” he said. “I think I’ve proven that’s not what I’m trying to do. Then they talked about my political future. I am not interested in the political future. “If I did, I would be out by now.”
Haley supporters who spoke to NBC News said they want to see her move forward, suggesting something beyond the results could affect the race.
“No matter how it goes in South Carolina, I’d like her to run the course,” said Haley supporter Liz Hood of Beaufort. “Because February 24 to November is a long time. And there are many things that can happen.”
“I’m glad she’s staying,” added Haley supporter Bill Pittman of Beaufort. “I think he will win, but between now and election day, a lot can happen on both sides. Eternity is far away in politics. I like the idea of him being in the mix, still on the hunt.”
The main challenge Haley faced in her home state was simple: A majority of voters approved of her, but a majority of those who voted Saturday favored Trump more.
“He was pretty good,” David, a Trump supporter from Georgetown, said of his time as governor. “I think he is a great person. But I think the Democratic Party will eat it up and spit it out in the first week. I don’t think he can handle it.”
Of Trump, he added: “I don’t like the man. But I think he’s the only person who can get us out of the hole we’re in.”