Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley expressed her commitment to remaining in the scaled-down Republican presidential race through Super Tuesday, stating that she intends to assess her position after that milestone.
Despite being the sole high-profile candidate left in the GOP contest, excluding former President Donald Trump, Haley refrained from confirming her participation in the race up to the party’s nominating convention scheduled for July.
During an interview on “Meet the Press” with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Haley was directly asked, “Yes or no, are you in this race through the convention, beyond Super Tuesday? Yes or no?” Responding, Haley asserted, “As long as I keep growing per state, I am in this race.”
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (Credits: The Hill)
She emphasized her intention to participate in Super Tuesday, scheduled for March 5, where a significant portion of delegates is at stake as more than a dozen states, including California and Texas, hold their primaries.
Typically, Super Tuesday serves as a critical juncture, leading to the elimination of candidates as one-third of all delegates are determined. However, several populous states, such as Florida, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania, will hold their primaries after Super Tuesday, extending the primary season until June 4.
The Republican primary field has narrowed down to a showdown between Haley and Trump, as other notable candidates withdrew from the race following Trump’s dominant performance in the Iowa caucuses.
In the Hawkeye State, Haley secured 19 percent of the vote, and in New Hampshire, she garnered approximately 43 percent but fell short to Trump, who won with nearly 54 percent.
While Nevada’s vote is the next focus for Republicans, both Haley and Trump are concentrating on South Carolina, where the primary is set for February 24.
Haley asserted that a win in South Carolina is not necessary to sustain her campaign, but she aims for a more robust performance than in New Hampshire, where Trump currently holds a considerable lead according to polls.
Haley refrained from labeling Trump’s attacks on her, which questioned her eligibility to be president due to her parents being Indian immigrants, as racist. However, she criticized the rhetoric and cautioned that it is likely to worsen, stating, “I think that’s for everybody else to decide.
I think, you know, the fact that he continues to go down these paths of saying things, you know, is this who we want as a president? Is this who we want our kids to see? I don’t think so. And, look, he’s just going to become more unhinged… It’s going to get worse, because that’s what he does when he feels like he’s not in control.”
