Trump mocked as Nikki Haley wins 1 in 5 Indiana GOP voters in state primary despite dropping out in March

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Despite former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's withdrawal from the presidential race in March, her campaign continues to garner significant support in state primaries. 

This is particularly noticeable in Indiana, where she received more than 21% of the votes on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

The fact that former President Donald Trump is still racking up primary victories despite facing state criminal charges involving hush money payments to an adult film star demonstrates persistent discontent among a certain bloc of party voters.

Haley, the former United Nations ambassador, qualified for the Indiana ballot before ending her campaign two months ago. It is worth noting that she has not endorsed Donald Trump yet.

How did non-participant Nikki Haley garner a substantial 21% of Indiana GOP primary votes?

Indiana Democrats were unable to vote "uncommitted" during their party's primary.

President Joe Biden has faced nationwide criticism regarding his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has led to a protest vote movement in some states, raising concerns about his level of support in the upcoming November general election.

On the other hand, a political non-factor in former presidential hopeful, Nikki Haley, has garnered the utmost support in Indiana's urban and suburban counties.

She managed to win 35% of the vote in Marion County, Indianapolis, and over a third of the vote in suburban Hamilton County.

As is the case in other states, she performed best in the most Democratic regions of the state.

However, there was an exception in Lake County, which is located in close proximity to Chicago. In this area, Haley only received 14% of the vote. 

Biden's campaign points Haley's success in Indiana to Trump's struggles in the suburbs, citing similar primary numbers in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan.

The POTUS has openly appealed to Haley supporters, urging them to vote for him in November.

Trump's campaign, without providing any evidence, claimed that Haley's support came from Democrats. They also stated that the 77-year-old MAGA strongman would win Indiana in November, as he did in 2016 and 2020.

Just two weeks ago, Haley received almost 17% of the primary vote in Pennsylvania. She also received similar support in Arizona, just weeks after exiting the presidential nomination race. 

When questioned about Haley's support, Trump, who won every county in Indiana, dismissed the matter in an interview with WGAL-TV of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“All of those people are going to come to me,” the ex-Commander-in-Chief remarked.

During the 2024 GOP presidential primary race, a significant proportion of Republican voters supported Nikki Haley, who served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations under then-President Donald Trump.

Despite not winning the party's nomination, Haley's campaign garnered support from 1 in 5 Republican voters, leading to speculation about the impact of her candidacy on the general election. 

Notably, Haley's campaign was largely absent from the Hoosier State, despite her being a candidate in the race.

Indiana is not a swing state, with 11 electoral votes and a history of voting Republican. In 2020, Trump won Indiana by 16 percentage points.

Nevertheless, Haley's level of support among GOP voters suggests that her candidacy could impact the voting behavior of some Republican and independent voters in the general election.

Haley gained nearly 27% of votes in Michigan before dropping out of the race and received 13% of the Georgia GOP vote shortly after her exit.

Following her withdrawal from the presidential race, Haley joined the conservative think tank, the Hudson Institute.

In her farewell speech, she chose not to directly endorse Trump but urged him to appeal to moderate Republicans and independent voters who had supported her during the primary race.

Prior to Super Tuesday, Haley announced that she no longer felt bound by the pledge that required all GOP contenders to support the party's eventual nominee in order to participate in the primary debates.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley stated. “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”

Internet trolls Trump as Nikki Haley wins 1 in 5 Indiana GOP voters

One X user remarked, "He's gonna be bigly mad." [sic]

Another user said, "For real! He has no path to the white house if Haley who is no longer in the race is pulling votes from him!"

Another user asserted, "Indiana is super right wing, at least 22% reject Trump, good sign..."

One user wrote, "Irrelevant. What matters is if they vote for Biden over Trump in the general election."

Another X user claimed, "Trump said he didn't want their votes. Hopefully, the trend continues into the general election."

Finally, this user tweeted, "Not good news for Trump! Means people went out of their way just to vote *against* Trump. Same way it happened in 2020. Likely to happen again 2024. Blame it on "Trump Derangement Syndrome." MAGA loves boasting about it but it's the reason Trump keeps losing." [sic]

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.