Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told supporters Saturday night in Charleston that she was staying in the presidential race – despite being trounced 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. on the dot – the moment Palmetto State polls closed.
By the time she stepped onstage around 8:30 p.m., Trump was leading her by about 20 points – with Haley holding onto about 40 percent – as returns continued to come in.
That number, she told a cheering crowd, signaled enough support for her to carry on.
‘There are huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries who are saying they want an alternative,’ she said. ‘I said earliier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina I would continue to run for president – I’m a woman of my word.’
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told supporters Saturday night in Charleston that she was staying in the presidential race – despite being trounced by former President Donald Trump in her home state of South Carolina
Republican presidential candidate greets supporters as she arrives at her Charleston, South Carolina primary night party. She told the crowd that the approximately 40 percent of the vote she received in her home state was enough to carry on
Ahead of the primary, some of the biggest names in her state’s Republican Party had endorsed Trump.
That included South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a previous 2024 rival, who backed Trump ahead of last month’s New Hampshire primary – despite Haley appointing Scott to the U.S. Senate while she served as governor.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace also decided to endorse Trump, despite the fact that he endorsed her Republican primary rival in 2022 after she criticized him over January 6.
At that time Haley came to her aid, campaigning to keep Mace in her Charleston-area Congressional seat.
Mace repaid the favor by calling Haley ‘China’s favorite governor’ during a campaign stop in early February.
‘And in fact, if she had her 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
The former U.N. ambassador’s supporters danced in front of the jumbotron as former President Donald Trump touted his victory in Haley’s home state
DailyMail.com found that Haley did get some help Saturday from Democrats, independents and Libertarians, hoping to stall Trump’s rapid ascent to the November ballot.
‘I’m a Democrat, flat out,’ 54-year-old social worker Cynthia Plasters said as she voted alongside her husband at the Hunley Park Elementary School in North Charleston.
She said she voted in Saturday’s Republican primary ‘because I don’t want Trump to be on the ballot, that is exactly why.’
‘Because I hate Trump. I hate Trump. I think he is a criminal and I think he’s corrupt in every way and I think he’s awful,’ 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 ex-president but because his values ‘align more with Nikki than with Trump.’
Stephen Miller, 42, who works at a sushi restaurant in Mount Pleasant, said he usually votes for Libertarian candidates but backed Haley on Saturday.
Haley (left) is seen assisting 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 cast a ballot for her, a female candidate, in a U.S. presidential primary
Nikki Haley heads to her polling place Saturday on Kiawah Island, South Carolina with mom Raj, son Nalin, daughter Rena and her son-in-law Joshua as she braces for a potential loss to former President Donald Trump in her home state
‘I just think it’s time for a new direction. Some younger leadership. And I think she would be less divisive in kind of getting the country back together instead of two polar opposites,’ Miller said.
Shelby Joffrion, 43, of North Charleston who works for the city of Charleston government has voted in past Republican primaries but considers herself a moderate and said with prompting that she was a ‘never Trumper.’
On Saturday she went for Haley because ‘she’s inspiring to women.’
‘I feel like women like me we have a voice and she’s making me feel like we’re heard and conversely I also don’t like the other majority candidate – he’s caused a lot of chaos and hurt in our country.’
Joffrion said if Haley fails to nab the nomination she’ll likely vote Democratic in November.
‘I’ll probably support Biden,’ she told DailyMail.com.