Former U.S. President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary in the state of South Carolina.
Primary votes are held in each state to determine who will lead the Republican party into this year’s presidential election.
Trump’s only legitimate contender – former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – was hoping to poll favourably in her home state over the weekend. However, Trump won about 60% of the votes.
Haley’s third defeat clears the way for a 2020 election re-match between Trump and President Joe Biden.
South Carolina
Haley was governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017.
After losing the most recent primary in New Hampshire, Haley remained optimistic about her campaign, saying she was “not going anywhere… except to my sweet South Carolina”.
Haley was also defeated in the first Republican primary in Iowa. She polled third, behind nominee Ron DeSantis (who has since dropped out of the race) and Trump.
Will Nikki Haley drop out?
Haley said she has no plans to withdraw from the race, and that she wasn’t “giving up this fight”. Haley said she had a “duty” to offer voters an alternative to Trump.
“America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. This has never been about me or my political future. We need to beat Joe Biden in November. I don’t believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden,” she said.
When a Reuters reporter asked Trump’s campaign manager Chris LaCivita about Haley at a recent event, LaCivita responded: “Nikki who?”
Next steps
Primary elections continue on ‘Super Tuesday’ next week when Republicans in 15 states, including the most populous states of California and Texas, will vote. Final primary votes will take place in June.
The Republican presidential and vice-presidential nominees will be formally determined at the party’s national convention in July.
The Republican nominee will almost certainly run against current President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the presidential election on 5 November.
