8 takeaways from Donald Trump's victory over Nikki Haley in South Carolina Republican primary

8 takeaway from Donald Trump's victory over Nikki Haley in the South Carolina GOP primary

Former President Donald Trump once again tasted a landslide victory in his 2024 presidential bid. Defeating the sole GOP opponent in her home state, South Carolina's primary, the billionaire ex-president, is paving the way to face President Joe Biden in the November election. Securing 59.8% votes to Haley's 39.5%, as per CNN, this is Trump's fourth consecutive win against the former UN Ambassador after Iowa, New Hampshire, and the Virgin Islands. He also won the caucuses in Nevada, where Haley chose to compete in the primary. Here are the eight key highlights from Trump's win in the Palmetto State's crucial GOP primary.

1. Donald Trump closes in on GOP nomination

Trump now has a clear path to grab the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election in November. His consecutive victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, the Virgin Islands, and now South Carolina added to his dominance in polls ahead of Super Tuesday when more than a dozen states would choose their nominee on March 5, making him the unbeatable frontrunner to become the GOP contender for a third time.

2. Donald Trump dominates the GOP establishment

The South Carolina victory underscores the fact that Trump has effectively brought the GOP under his control. Most Republican voters staunchly support the former president, as proved by the majority believing his 2020 election claims and his arguments in the federal indictments against him. The Associated Press VoteCast found that six out of 10 voters in South Carolina consider themselves supporters of the ex-POTUS' "Make America Great Again" movement. Hence, Trump's continued dominance in the Palmetto State indicates the GOP's shift to a MAGA party.

3. Nikki Haley isn't ready to quit the presidential race

Haley is determined to continue the race despite losing to Trump in her home state, where she was governor for two consecutive terms. The White House hopeful on multiple instances has declared her decision to continue in the race irrespective of the result in South Carolina. She spoke to supporters after Trump was a projected winner, saying, "I'm a woman of my word. I'm not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden." Her best fundraising in January also adds to her decision not to quit the race. 

4. Where does Nikki Haley go from here?

Haley's loss to the former president in the Palmetto State raises questions about her next steps. Though she had a narrow chance to challenge Trump early on in the race, the current situation does not offer any game-changing stretch as the latter is closing in on the GOP nomination. However, her decision to remain in the race takes her to Super Tuesday and other ballots in March. Her campaign announced visiting Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, and Utah starting Sunday, February 25. "In the next ten days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate," said the presidential hopeful in her concession speech.

5. What forces candidates to drop out of the presidential race?

Presidential campaigns could end directly after candidate losses in primaries and delegate counts. However, most candidates decide to quit the race as they fail to gain momentum. For instance, GOP presidential contenders Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis left the race in January, seeing their inability to gain a lead against Trump. Furthermore, another significant factor forcing a candidate to pull out is donors. If the flow of donations is reduced, the candidate will have no other option. This is the same reason why Haley is supposedly able to sustain in the race, as the anti-Trump Republicans generously pay her campaign bills.

6. Delegates are the ultimate prize for a White House hopeful

Lead in polls and speeches aside, the delegates are the ultimate prize in the South Carolina GOP primary as a candidate has to secure 1215 delegates to get a nomination from the Republican Party. As per CNN, Trump has secured 44 delegates from South Carolina, totaling his count to 107.

7. VP auditioning hour for Sen Tim Scott

Trump's campaign in the Palmetto State was an indirect audition to Sen Tim Scott for the vice presidential ticket. Suspending his campaign in November 2023, he endorsed the former president in January this year. Trump definitely noted his presence as during a February 23 rally, the ex-POTUS said, "He's the greatest surrogate I've ever seen. He's a much better representative for me than he is a representative for himself."

8. Joe Biden coalition fails to save Nikki Haley on home turf

Haley never openly sought Democrats' help to defeat Trump, but indirectly, she might have. She had hoped that the open primary system in South Carolina would lead to more votes from more moderate, college-educated White voters who opposed the ex-POTUS. However, her GOP version of the coalition Joe Biden assembled against Trump for the 2020 election did not help her secure a victory on her home turf.