South Carolina Republican primary: Trump looks formidable as Haley braces for litmus test
Trump haley
US presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley and Donald Trump are all set to face off in the South Carolina Republican primary. Trump so far looks like a formidable force, having swept Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But can we see an upset in South Carolina, where Haley enjoys wider support as the state’s twice-elected governor?
Haley jumps into the fray with high hopes
February 24 is certainly the big day for Haley’s nomination campaign. During interactions with her supporters in Iowa and New Hampshire, she boasted that she would be winning “my sweet state of South Carolina.”
Despite glaring challenges, Haley seems to be riding on high hopes. “There were 14 candidates in this race,” she says, adding, “I’ve defeated 12 of the fellas, and I have just one more to catch up to.”
For Haley in particular, stakes are high in South Carolina. She can’t afford to lose a state where she has served as governor. A loss to Trump would technically deal a massive blow to her campaign.
Currently, Trump leads Haley in opinion polls by a whopping 36 points, giving the ex-president confidence that he would win “bigly.” “Everybody knows you can’t lose your home state,” he said.
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Women could spoil Haley’s party
Women, who have made up 53 per cent of voters in presidential elections since 2000, generally hold negative views of Nikki Haley.
Watch:'A vote for Nikki Haley is a vote for Joe Biden': Trump in South Carolina
In December, an Emerson College poll showed just 8 per cent support among Republican women for Haley compared with 19 per cent support among Republican men.
South Carolina primary system
The state follows an open primary system regime, which allows any registered voter to participate in the party’s primary. However, the only caveat is that a voter can only participate in only one party’s presidential primary.
On a national level, a Republican candidate needs 1,215 delegates to secure the nomination. The candidate winning South Carolina will get votes of 29 delegates. So far, Haley has 17 delegates against Trump’s 63.
What if Haley loses the South Carolina primary?
In reality, a loss could spell doom for Haley’s nomination ambitions. However, Haley has vowed to remain determined.
During a campaign speech on Tuesday in Greenville, South Carolina, she defiantly said, “South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president.”
(With inputs from agencies)