Nikki Haley, the previous governor of South Carolina, on Tuesday defied calls to drop out of the race for the Republican nomination, vowing to combat again after a second consecutive defeat by the hands of former President Donald J. Trump.
In stirring remarks, Ms. Haley painted an image of a rustic and world in disarray, standing as the selection for voters dissatisfied with President Biden and Mr. Trump. She has arrange an epic showdown with Mr. Trump in South Carolina, the place she is trailing Mr. Trump within the polls regardless of a home-state benefit.
“New Hampshire is first within the nation — it's not final within the nation,” he stated as a loud wave of cheers and applause erupted within the room. He added that the race was “removed from over”.
She added, “We're going house to South Carolina.”
Borrowing signature traces from her stump speeches, Ms. Haley, a United Nations ambassador underneath Mr. Trump, famous how far she had come for the reason that race opened, when she was polling simply over 2 for 100. She congratulated Mr Trump on what she described as a well-earned victory and stated politics was “not private” to her, but additionally known as herself “a fighter”.
“And I'm scrappy — and now we're the final ones standing subsequent to Donald Trump,” he added. Casting himself as an outsider, regardless of his insider resume, he vowed to tackle Mr. Trump and the political class behind him. She additionally took photographs on the media, which she stated noticed her setback on the nomination as a foregone conclusion.
With the brand new urgency that she flashed on the runway prior to now week, Ms. Haley turned the warmth on the previous president, the dominant front-runner within the Republican race, who’s preventing 91 prison costs. One other Trump presidency could be as dangerous for the nation as one other 4 years of Mr. Biden, he stated.
He additionally took one other dig at Mr. Trump's psychological well being and his 77-year-old age, reminding voters how he had confused her for Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi and accused her of not offering safety within the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. his frenzied viewers, which often shouted encouraging interruptions, shouted, “Geriatric!”
“With Donald Trump, you might have one bout of chaos after one other,” he stated. “That court docket case, that controversy, that tweet, that senior second. You’ll be able to't repair Joe Biden's chaos with Republican chaos.”
In her final look within the Granite State earlier than the polls closed, Ms Haley rejected the suggestion that Republican voters had already rallied behind the previous president, and vowed to not finish his supply, regardless of the final result.
“I didn't get right here by luck,” he stated at a polling place in Hampton, NH, as he was flanked by supporters, together with Gov. Chris Sununu, his high surrogate within the state. “I acquired right here as a result of I labored and beat all the remainder of these guys. So I'm working in opposition to Donald Trump, and I'm not going to speak about an obituary.”
Mr Trump, talking to supporters at his victory celebration, mocked Ms Haley for talking “like she gained”. However “he didn't win – he misplaced,” he added.
On Wednesday morning, Ms. Haley is scheduled to talk throughout a gathering of the Republican State Committee within the Virgin Islands, which holds its contest on February 8. It’s then anticipated at a house rally in Charleston, SC, the place his marketing campaign is headquartered. .
Various individuals near Ms. Haley are encouraging her to proceed, lots of whom are deeply against Mr. Trump returning the nominee.
Betsy Ankney, his marketing campaign supervisor, launched a memo early Tuesday morning capturing down options that Mr. Trump's path to the nomination was inevitable. She pointed to 11 of the 16 states voting on Tremendous Tuesday which have “open or semi-open primaries” which will embody unbiased voters and are “fertile floor for Nikki.” Going through by the departing crowd on Tuesday, Ms Ankney stated the marketing campaign had additionally already introduced extra employees members in place, though she declined to debate additional particulars.
Nevada could have a Republican caucus on February 8, however Ms. Haley isn’t competing in that contest, as an alternative collaborating in a Republican major within the state two days earlier that won’t award delegates.
His marketing campaign purchased greater than $1 million in tv advertisements from Tuesday by Feb. 6 in South Carolina, in line with AdImpact, a media monitoring agency. It's a part of what the marketing campaign has introduced will probably be a $4 million advert purchase within the state.
And officers from its allied tremendous PAC, Stand for America, additionally stated they plan to maneuver ahead.
Mark Harris, the PAC's chief strategist, stated he was getting ready tv, mail and digital promoting in a get-out-the-vote effort that might look much like packages he had taken in Iowa and New Hampshire, although since then. Marti had not but made these investments.
“We’re working the applying from the surface, as a result of this has by no means occurred magically in a day, and so we are going to proceed to push ahead,” stated Mr. Harris.
For the reason that summer season, Ms. Haley has predicted that the Republican nomination contest will lead to a showdown between her and Mr. Trump in her house state. Her outward confidence in that situation didn't waver — not after she failed to position second in Iowa, not after her fundamental rival for a No. 2, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, dropped out and endorsed Mr. Trump, not after a listing of South Carolina legislators this week joined Mr. Trump on the stump within the final days of the New Hampshire race.
Her message to her allies and the media: She's been there earlier than.
“I gained South Carolina twice as governor,” he instructed reporters Friday at a retro diner in Amherst. “I feel I do know what the favorable territory is in South Carolina.”
Nevertheless it's been 10 years since she was final on the poll, and her state and her celebration have modified. Mr. Trump has solidified a loyal base right here since he gained South Carolina within the 2016 Republican major over Ms. Haley's endorsement over his opponent, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Though Ms. Haley's prosperous — and extra reasonable — Republican base alongside the coast and in Charleston stays intact, her maintain on the Midlands is widening. Within the extra conservative Upstate round Greenville, you're prone to have a good steeper climb.
The daunting path forward didn’t dampen enthusiasm amongst his supporters who gathered at his election watch celebration Tuesday at a lodge in Harmony. Many weren’t from New Hampshire. Virtually 100 college students got here from New York.
Regardless of the outcomes, many described feeling elated, optimistic and hopeful, believing that as Trump's newest challenger within the Republican race, he would now have a higher likelihood to unfold his message.
When the election outcomes flashed on the tv screens scattered all through the room, few had been paying consideration.
“I'm glad to listen to she's nonetheless gone,” stated Allie Cable, 26, a division supervisor within the well being trade in Harmony. “Something might occur.”
Richard and Wendy Clymer, a Republican couple additionally from Harmony, missed the entire second. They rushed into the occasion late after spending the day rallying in assist of Ms. Haley and inspiring voters to get to the polls. He noticed the outcome as encouraging, though the state went to the column of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Clymer, 63, an engineer who had held a Haley signal exterior a polling place for seven hours, recalled the second his polling place outcomes had been learn aloud: Trump 467, Haley 739 .
“There was an audible gasp within the gymnasium like, 'Wow,' this man will be beat,” Mr. Clymer stated.
Maggie Haberman and Kellen Browning contributed report.
