Despite being more than 25 points behind Donald Trump in her home state, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley declared Tuesday she will not be bowing out of the GOP presidential primary race.
“Some of you — perhaps a few of you in the media — came here today to see if I’m dropping out of the race,” Haley said at Clemson University’s campus in Greenville, South Carolina.
“Well, I’m not,” she said.
Haley: Some of you, a few of you in the media, came here today to see if I’m dropping out of the race… Well, I’m not. pic.twitter.com/6NaYJMFe14
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2024
Haley told The Associated Press she will be staying in the race regardless of the results of South Carolina’s primary election. “Why would I [drop out] when only, at that point, four states have voted?” she asked.
“Ten days after South Carolina, another 20 states vote. I mean, this isn’t Russia,” Haley said.
South Carolina’s primary is Saturday. The Real Clear Polling average shows Haley at 36.5 percent support in her home state, dwarfed by Trump’s 61.8.
Speaking in Greenville, Haley said “the political elite, the party bosses, the cheerleaders in the commentator world” are calling for her to quit since she hasn’t won any state primaries and her “path to victory is slim.”
Should Haley drop out?
“Look, I get it,” Haley said. “In politics, the herd mentality is enormously strong. A lot of Republican politicians have surrendered to it. The pressure on them was way too much. They didn’t want to be left out of the club.
“Of course, many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump, privately dread him,” she said. “They know what a disaster he’s been and will continue to be for our party. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud.
“Well, I’m not afraid to say the hard truths out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring. I have no fear of Trump’s retribution. I’m not looking for anything from him.”
Haley’s critics say her continued presence in the presidential race hurts Republicans “because we’re not getting money,” she told the AP. But Trump, she said, is using campaign money to defend himself in court cases.
“Instead of asking me what states I’m gonna win, why don’t we ask how he’s gonna win a general election after spending a full year in a courtroom?” she said.
