Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told supporters Saturday night in Charleston that she would remain in the presidential race, despite being defeated by former President Donald Trump in her home state of South Carolina.
Haley suffered a quick embarrassment in the state she governed from 2011 to 2017, with the Associated Press calling South Carolina for Trump at 7 p.m. sharp, just as polls closed in the Palmetto State.
When she took the stage around 8:30 p.m., Trump led by about 20 points — with Haley holding on to about 40 percent — as the returns kept coming.
That number, she told a cheering crowd, indicated enough support to move forward.
“There are a large number of voters in our Republican primary who say they want an alternative,” he said. “I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run for president; I am a woman of my word.”
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told supporters Saturday night in Charleston that she would remain in the presidential race, despite being defeated by former President Donald Trump in her home state of South Carolina.
The Republican presidential candidate greets supporters as she arrives at her primary night party in Charleston, South Carolina. She told the crowd that about 40 percent of the votes she received in her home state were enough to continue.
Before the primary, some of the biggest names in his state’s Republican Party had endorsed Trump.
That included South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a previous 2024 rival, who endorsed Trump before last month’s New Hampshire primary, even though Haley nominated Scott for the U.S. Senate while she served as governor.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace also decided to endorse Trump, even though he endorsed her Republican rival in the 2022 primary after she criticized him on Jan. 6.
At that point, Haley came to his aid, campaigning to keep Mace in his Charleston-area congressional seat.
Mace returned the favor by calling Haley “China’s favorite governor” during a campaign stop in early February.
“And in fact, if it had its way, South Carolina would be manufacturing spy balloons right here in our state,” Mace said.
Nikki Haley supporter Jamil N. Jaffer reacts after Donald Trump was quickly declared the winner of the South Carolina Republican primary at the former governor’s campaign event Saturday night in Charleston.
Supporters of the former U.N. ambassador danced in front of the jumbotron as former President Donald Trump touted his victory in Haley’s home state.
DailyMail.com found that Haley received some help on Saturday from Democrats, independents and libertarians, hoping to stop Trump’s rapid rise to the November election.
“I’m a Democrat, flat out,” said Cynthia Plasters, a 54-year-old social worker, as she voted alongside her husband at Hunley Park Elementary School in North Charleston.
He said he voted in Saturday’s Republican primary “because I don’t want Trump to be on the ballot, that’s exactly why.”
‘Because I hate Trump. I hate Trump. “I think he’s a criminal and I think he’s corrupt in every way and I think he’s horrible,” Plasters said.
Her husband Chad, 52, also voted for Haley but is an independent.
He chose the former South Carolina governor not simply to stop the former president but because his values ”align more with Nikki than Trump.”
Stephen Miller, 42, who works at a sushi restaurant in Mount Pleasant, said he normally votes for Libertarian candidates but endorsed Haley on Saturday.
Haley (left) is seen helping her mother Raj (right) at the polling place Saturday on Kiawah Island. She spoke to reporters about how “blessed we are to be in this country” after watching her mother vote for her, a candidate, in the US presidential primary.
Nikki Haley heads to her polling place Saturday in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, with her mother Raj, son Nalin, daughter Rena and son-in-law Joshua as she prepares for a possible loss to former President Donald Trump in her state native.
‘I just think it’s time to go in a new direction. Some younger leaders. And I think it would be less divisive by bringing the country back together instead of two polar opposites,’ Miller said.
Shelby Joffrion, 43, of North Charleston, who works for Charleston city government, voted in previous Republican primaries but considers herself a moderate and said she was “never a Trumper.”
On Saturday, he opted for Haley because “she’s inspiring to women.”
“I feel like women like me have a voice and she makes me feel heard and, conversely, I don’t like the other majority candidate either – he’s caused a lot of chaos and damage in our country.”
Joffrion said that if Haley fails to secure the nomination, she will likely vote Democratic in November.
“I’ll probably support Biden,” he told DailyMail.com.