Nikki Haley pledged to continue her presidential campaign despite Donald Trump's decisive win in the South Carolina GOP primary, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Just moments after the polls closed, Trump was widely projected as the winner, igniting a spirited discussion about his electability in the upcoming general election.
“We need to beat Joe Biden in November. I don’t believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden. Nearly every day, Trump drives people away, including with his comments just yesterday,” Haley told a cheering crowd of supporters who booed the former president as soon as his name was mentioned.
Haley gave her speech in South Carolina when a little more than 50% of the votes had been counted, and she was only sitting around 40% compared to Trump's 60%, which she called a victory for her campaign.
“That’s about what we got in New Hampshire too. I’m an accountant. I know 40% is not 50%, but I also know 40% is not some tiny group,” Haley said.
The former South Carolina governor accused both Biden and Trump of “demanding we fight each other.” She told the crowd, “One of them calls his fellow Americans fascists. The other calls his fellow Americans vermin.”
Former Virginia Congresswoman Barbara Comstock shared a clip from Haley's speech from Saturday night on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the post, she wrote, "Every primary night Nikki Haley has looked more like the winner and her speech has been more optimistic, more about the future, and more about the American people than the 4x indicted 2020 sore loser. Keep going Nikki!"
Not everyone supported the former governor's decision to stay in the race.
Florida Congressman and devout Trump supporter Matt Gaetz responded to Comstock's post, mocking her, saying, "Nothing makes you look like a winner more than losing a primary in your home state by 20+ points after vastly outspending the opposition."
With Super Tuesday right around the corner, several political commentators believe the results will determine if Haley has a chance against Trump.
Sixteen states and territories, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and American Samoa will vote next week on March 5.
The massive election night is set to make a serious dent in the delegate count. An estimated 1,215 delegates are needed to win the nomination, and Trump has already earned over six times the amount Haley has earned in the last four contests.
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According to Real Clear Politics, recent polling data suggests that Trump is a runaway favorite in the GOP primary, sitting comfortably at 74.9 percent of likely Republican voters voting for him over Haley.