Associated Press
Donald Trump won South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday, easily beating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination.
Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, adding to previous wins in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Haley is facing growing pressure to leave the race but says she’s not going anywhere despite losing the state where she was governor from 2011 to 2017.
A 2020 rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump’s momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner as polls closed statewide at 7 p.m. That race call was based on an analysis of AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of Republican South Carolina primary voters. The survey confirmed the findings of pre-Election Day polls showing Trump far outpacing Haley statewide.
“I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now,” Trump declared, taking the stage for his victory speech mere moments after polls closed. He added, “You can celebrate for about 15 minutes, but then we have to get back to work.”
South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has historically been a reliable bellwether for Republicans. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.
Trump was dominant across the state, even leading in Lexington County, which Haley represented in the state Legislature. Many Trump-backing South Carolinians, even some who previously supported Haley during her time as governor, weren’t willing to give her a home-state bump.
“She’s done some good things,” Davis Paul, 36, said about Haley as he waited for Trump at a recent rally in Conway. “But I just don’t think she’s ready to tackle a candidate like Trump. I don’t think many people can.”
At Haley headquarters on Saturday night, supporters waved her signs in front of a large projection screen showing Trump’s speech, blocking it from view. That, of course, didn’t make the defeat any less crushing.
About an hour later, Haley took the stage and said: “What I saw today was South Carolina’s frustration with our country’s direction. I’ve seen that same frustration nationwide.”
“I don’t believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden,” Haley said, later adding: “I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run. I’m a woman of my word.”
She said she plans to head to Michigan for its primary on Tuesday — the last major contest before Super Tuesday. Still, she faces questions about where she might be able to win a contest or be competitive.
Trump and Biden are already behaving like they expect to face off in November.
Trump and his allies argue Biden has made the U.S. weaker and point to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump has also repeatedly attacked Biden over high inflation earlier in the president’s term and his handling of record-high migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Published with permission of the Associated Press.
11 comments
Dont Say FLA
February 24, 2024 at 8:13 pm
“Donald Trump wins South Carolina Primary” is one way to put it.
A more apt description is “GOP Loses South Carolina Primary”
VD
February 24, 2024 at 8:14 pm
Joe back in the basement.
Matt Gaetz Babysitting Services
February 24, 2024 at 9:46 pm
President Biden sez ‘hi’.
VD
February 25, 2024 at 7:23 am
Did he read that off the teleprompter?
Dont
February 29, 2024 at 6:01 pm
Joe … mama? Your mama is in the basement with you? Did she cut off your internet? Is that where you are today? Internet restriction? See you next week VD
PeterH
February 24, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Haley overwhelmed Trump in major metropolitan areas and adjacent suburbs! Watch what happens in the general election. Moderate Republicans and the vast majority of independent voters will be voting for Biden….. exceeding what Biden won in 2020 by millions of votes!
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" American
February 25, 2024 at 10:22 am
Good mornting America,
STAND BY FOR SAGE POLITICAL WISDOM:
I, Earl Pitts American, watched both Trump and Haley as they addressed their respective Fanbases in South Carolina yesterday evening.
EARL’S SAGE POLITICAL ANALYSIS:
1.) TRUMP:
Trump was Trump in the respect that nothing about him or his fanbase (there on TV in SC) had changed since he did the Hillery Smack-Down back in 2016. Same guy ….. nothings changed.
2.) HALEY:
Haley made a very telling and Dramatic 180 degree turn since her last public address to her fanbase.
BUT WHATS CHANGED EARL?
Thank you for asking just let Me, Earl Pitts American, PREACH ON and get The Word Out To The Herd:
So, America, I’m listening to Haley speak from the kitchen where I’m grabbing a brewsky. What I hear from Haley made a chill run down my Sage Backside and caused my Sage Sphincter to tighten up.
WHAT IN THE “WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS” DID YOU HEAR SAGE EARL?
Well I, Earl Pitts American, to put it bluntly heard Hillary Clinton and it gave me The HEEBIE JEEBIES.
TELL US MORE OH SAGE EARL:
Well:
1.) Nickki Haley’s tennor and tone to her voice had transformed totally into Hillary.
2.) The way Nikki was manipulating her voice was a total Hillary Rip-Off along with the way Hillary stole the “Call And Congregation Response” from “Southern Black Churches”.
3.) Both Hillary and Haley’s fanbase responded with “High Pitched Screaming and Cheering” after the politician made her one-liner promises and political jabs along with their many, many, many lies.
IN CLOSING:
Haley’s audiance was made up of 80% paid Democrative Opperatives Highly Trained in the Hillary Style of responding to Haley’s one-liners.
BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN EARL?
What it means is that Nikky Haley has totally and 100% sold-out her soul to The Dark Side.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, SAGE EARL, THAT US COMMON FOLK NEED TO KNOW?
Yes, yes there is:
IF YOU LOVE BIDEN’S POLICEYS AND STYLE OF GOVERANCE THEN YOU WILL LOVE VOTING FOR NIKKI HALEY.
The Earl of Politics has just told You, The Sage Reader, the most truthfull and helpfull thing anyone has ever told you in your entire life.
Earl Pitts American
*FREE BUMPER STICKER*
*IF YOU LIKED BIDEN YOU WILL LOVE NIKKI HALEY*
Rick Whitaker
February 27, 2024 at 9:47 am
CAUTION, TROLL COMMENT BYTHE WOMAN HATER, EARL.
Michael K
February 24, 2024 at 11:44 pm
What remains of the Republican party is behind a guy with 91 felony indictments who lied about the election he lost in 2020. And yet here we are. It’s not a party: there is no platform, only a cult following a grifter.
The silver lining is that 40% of primary voters said no to Trump – a much stronger performance by Haley than DeSantis ever accomplished – she appears to have won several counties unlike DeSantis.
Dont Say FLA
February 29, 2024 at 6:04 pm
Trump’s GOP Primary vote count will be at best the same, but more likely higher than his vote count in November. Yet the GOP voters keep voting for him to go and lose again.
What is the strategy that’s in play for the GOP voter? I don’t comprendo unless it’s all for a repeat of Stop The Steal J6 nonsense, but the cops won’t be so tolerant and forgiving next time, plus Trump’s tough guys will all still be in prison from last time.
Dancing Outlawed
March 1, 2024 at 1:34 pm
The guy who makes decisions based on Fox News is winning GOP Primaries.
So if Fox News likes something, they can report on it positively, and Trump will be for it.
When Fox News doesn’t like something, they can report on it negatively, and Trump think it’s a bad idea and shut it down.
But what happens when Putin disagrees with Fox News?
Comments are closed.