Trump wins South Carolina primary, defeating Haley in her home state

Former US president Donald Trump emerged victorious in the South Carolina primary on Saturday (Feb 24), defeating Nikki Haley in her home state in the nomination race, according to media projections.

Seconds after the final ballot was cast, CNN, NBC and other outlets predicted another stinging loss for Haley who is yet to drop out of the nomination race, despite facing defeats in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada previously.

Reports showed Trump had garnered as much as 58.5 per cent votes, compared to Haley's 41 per cent in the voting which provides him 29 delegates from the state.

"It's an early evening and a fantastic evening. We can celebrate for about 15 minutes and then we have to get back to work," Trump told a room of boisterous supporters after the win.

"There's never been a spirit like this.This was a little sooner than we anticipated, and an even bigger win than we anticipated."

The Republican leader added that he will be ready on November 5 to look "Joe Biden right in the eye and say, 'Joe, you are fired, get out Joe, you are fired'."

Watch:'A vote for Nikki Haley is a vote for Joe Biden': Trump in South Carolina

Haley's painful campaign

Despite the loss, the Haley camp is looking forward to Super Tuesday, which falls on March 5 this year and refers to the date when the most number of US states hold primaries and caucuses.

“Haley has been the underdog in this race the entire time. We know that Trump is a juggernaut. We know that he is strong. We know that he has been the de facto leader of the party for the past eight years. So, breaking that hold is going to take a lot," said Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney.

During interactions with her supporters in Iowa and New Hampshire, Haley had boasted that she would be winning “my sweet state of South Carolina". However, the defeat leaves big question markover her campaign which is yet to taste any victory so far.

Haley's insistence on remaining in the race has irked the Trump camp which has accused her of relying on wealthy donors from the opposition political spectrum to merely prolong the inevitable.

The52-year-old former UN ambassador has underscored her doggedness to remain in the race as she brings limited government and a muscular foreign policy to the table. She argues that aTrump presidency would be mired in scandal from day one.

(With inputs from agencies)