Former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley has vowed to continue her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, despite suffering a second defeat to former president Donald Trump in the New Hampshire primary.
Haley claims race is ‘far from over’
Haley, who had hoped to challenge Trump’s dominance in the Granite State with the support of independent and moderate voters, conceded the race shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday night. She congratulated Trump on his victory, but insisted that the race was “far from over”.
“New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not last in the nation,” Haley told her supporters in Concord. “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, who placed third in the Iowa caucuses last week, said she had received “close to half of the vote” in New Hampshire and would “keep moving up”. She also criticized the “political class” who were “falling all over themselves saying this race is over”.
Haley attacks Trump and Biden as ‘chaos’
Haley, who served in Trump’s cabinet for two years before resigning in 2018, did not shy away from attacking her former boss and his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden. She accused both of them of creating “chaos” in the country and the world.
“With Donald Trump, you have one bout of chaos after another. This court case, that controversy, this tweet, that senior moment,” Haley said, referring to Trump’s ongoing civil defamation trial in New York, where he is accused of sexually assaulting a former advice columnist in the 1990s.
“You can’t fix Joe Biden’s chaos with Republican chaos.”
Haley also mocked Trump for confusing her with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during his rally in New Hampshire on Monday, where he falsely claimed that Haley had failed to provide security at the Capitol on January 6, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building.
“The worst kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump,” Haley said.
Trump celebrates win, urges Haley to drop out
Trump, who won the New Hampshire primary with 53.6% of the vote, compared to Haley’s 45.3%, celebrated his win in a statement, calling it a “tremendous victory” and a “historic landslide”. He also thanked his supporters and praised his campaign team.
“We are unstoppable. We are unbeatable. We are the greatest political movement in history,” Trump said.
Trump also tore into Haley, calling her a “loser” and a “disloyal” former employee. He urged her to drop out of the race and “save face”, claiming that she had no chance of winning the nomination.
“Nikki Haley is a pathetic and weak candidate who has no business running for president. She is a loser who can’t even win her own state. She should drop out of the race and save face, because she is only hurting herself and the Republican Party,” Trump said.
Trump also boasted that he had the support of the majority of Republicans and that he would easily defeat Biden in the general election.
“I have the overwhelming endorsement of the Republican Party and the American people. I will crush Joe Biden like a bug and make America great again,” Trump said.
What’s next for Haley and Trump?
Haley and Trump will face off again in the South Carolina primary on February 24, where Haley hopes to leverage her home-state advantage and appeal to the evangelical and military voters. However, Trump also has a strong base of support in the Palmetto State, where he won by 10 points in 2016.
According to the latest polls, Trump leads Haley by 20 points in South Carolina, and by 30 points nationally. Trump also has the backing of most of the Republican establishment, including former vice president Mike Pence, who endorsed him last month.
Haley, on the other hand, has struggled to gain traction among the anti-Trump faction of the party, which has seen several potential candidates drop out or decline to run, such as Maryland governor Larry Hogan, former Ohio governor John Kasich, and former UN ambassador John Bolton.
Haley has said that she will not quit the race until the Republican National Convention in July, where she hopes to force a contested convention and persuade the delegates to choose her over Trump. However, this scenario is unlikely, as Trump has secured the loyalty of most of the state party leaders and the rules committee.
Haley has also ruled out running as an independent or a third-party candidate, saying that she respects the will of the voters and the party. She has not said whether she would support Trump if he becomes the nominee, or whether she would consider running again in 2028.
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