Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she intends to continue her campaign despite a historic loss in her home state of South Carolina.
Not giving up: Haley, the sole remaining rival of former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race, was first defeated in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands, before losing South Carolina’s primary on Saturday.
In her speech following her defeat, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador addressed her supporters, declaring, “I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight… And I’m grateful that today is not the end of our story.”
Why she’s fighting on: Haley said that she’s continuing her campaign because the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with both Trump and President Joe Biden.
“I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Haley said. “South Carolina has spoken. We’re the fourth state to do so. In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate. And I have a duty to give them that choice.”
Loss aftermath: South Carolina’s GOP lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Russell Fry (R, SC-7) and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R, SC-1), who endorsed Trump last week, stood with the former president following the results, reported the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch network that endorsed Haley in November, ended its funding of the candidate’s campaign.
An uphill battle: With the loss, Haley’s campaign faces the uphill task of gaining traction in upcoming contests in winner-take-all states, with the Michigan primary looming on Tuesday and Super Tuesday on the horizon. Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney acknowledged the challenging landscape, as per The Guardian.
“We know the odds, we know the stakes. We have a full…
