Nikki Haley ended her presidential bid on Wednesday after being defeated in 14 precincts on Super Tuesday, handing the 2024 Republican nomination to Donald Trump. The former South Carolina governor, who became Trump’s ambassador to the UN and the first prominent woman of color to seek the Republican presidential nomination, refused to immediately endorse Trump as his other Republican rivals did. Instead, she challenged the former president to earn the support of his constituents.
“The time has now come for me to suspend my campaign,” Haley said, announcing her decision in a brief speech in Charleston, South Carolina. “I said that I want the voice of Americans to be heard. That’s what I did and I don’t regret it.”
Haley suffered a string of losses that began with Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and her home state of South Carolina. On Tuesday, when voters in 15 states went to the polls on a day known as Super Tuesday, Haley lost all but Vermont. Previously, she won only in Washington.
Among Trump’s prominent primary rivals, Haley was the last contender, so her withdrawal ensures that Trump will win the Republican nomination.
The WSJ reported that Haley will not announce an endorsement Wednesday, but will encourage Trump to earn the support of Republican and independent voters who endorsed her.
The move leaves a clear path for Trump to seek the Republican nomination for a third term — even as he faces 91 criminal charges, efforts to remove him from the ballot for inciting sedition and civil court judgments requiring him to pay more than $400 million over the allegations. financial fraud and defamation.
The prospect of the Republican presidential nominee being a convicted felon is getting closer, The Guardian writes.
