Nikki Haley is facing broadening calls to drop out of the GOP primary even as she publicly signals no intention to do so ahead of South Carolina’s contest next month.
The head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Georgia Republican Party and growing numbers of GOP lawmakers are urging her to drop out, arguing she has no realistic path to the nomination against frontrunner former President Trump.
There are incentives for Haley to keep going, but also risks. She’s up to 17 delegates after New Hampshire and has the potential to win more in the coming primaries, which could set her up to be an alternate nominee to Trump as he faces myriad legal battles.
At the same time, Haley could become demonized within the GOP if her campaign ends up angering rank-and-file Republican voters who want the party to unify behind its likely nominee.
We have open primaries in SC, I haven’t voted in a Republican primary since 2016, when I was young and stupid, and believed the “fiscal responsibility” and “individual liberty” lies of the Republicans (and also wanted to rub my vote against Trump then in the faces of family who supported him). Even though I’ve told myself it’ll be a cold day in hell before I vote for a Republican again, I’m a little tempted to go vote for Haley in the primary. Not that I want her as president, because she’d be terrible too, but at least she doesn’t ramble on about her dreams of being a dictator, or having “absolute authority.”