Nikki Haley eyes Super Tuesday after losing to 'none of these candidates' in Nevada Republican primary
What’s next for Nikki Haley in the race for the Republican presidential nomination?
Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, is currently vying for the Republican presidential nomination in her home state primary after Tuesday's woeful outing in the Nevada GOP primary. Despite coming in third place in the Iowa caucuses last month, Haley subsequently lost to Trump in the New Hampshire primary, which was widely seen as her best shot at securing a primary win outright. While Haley's campaign is focused on securing an unexpected win against former President Donald Trump, polls and primary results in other states suggest that her chances of defeating Trump are low. Here are 5 points for Nikki Haley to ponder in her bid to salvage her presidential campaign on the verge of collapse:
1. South Carolina primary on February 24
Haley's decision to skip campaigning ahead of the Nevada primary proved to be disastrous after she suffered a significant setback when the option 'none of these candidates' received nearly double the votes she accumulated on Tuesday, February 6. Despite Tuesday's harrowing results lagging her electoral momentum, the former United States ambassador to the United Nations is steadfast in her belief that her home state would turn out in numbers to show support for her candidacy over the predominant campaign of the MAGA figurehead, Donald Trump, despite polls suggesting otherwise.
2. Michigan primary on February 27
There's no time in between the two heavyweight GOP primaries scheduled to be held at the end of February that would allow Haley to mull over her setbacks and loss of impetus among her supporters. Haley's goal in Michigan going into March would be to bag as many delegates in the open primary system as she possibly could before facing an even bigger uphill battle during 'Super Tuesday'.
3. Super Tuesday commences
Super Tuesday, considered one of the most significant dates on the U.S. political calendar, is set to be held on March 5, this year. Fifteen states and one territory are scheduled to cast their votes this year, namely, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. One territory, American Samoa, will also vote, per The New York Times. This day is regarded as a pivotal moment in the presidential primary cycle, as it witnesses the highest number of states casting their votes, and it is common for a third of all Republican or Democratic convention delegates to be awarded on a Super Tuesday, which Haley would certainly be eyeing in her bid to secure the GOP presidential nomination.
4. Nikki Haley's ace up her sleeve
There is a possibility that either Trump or Haley could secure enough delegates to clinch the nomination by the middle of March and to beat her former employer to the highest count of endorsements from the available delegates, the 52-year-old could look to shore up her support among independent and anti-Trump voters. In protest of the highly polarizing figure of Donald Trump, where voters are allowed to cross party lines and cast their ballots in either party’s primary election in open primary states, Haley could also look to woo Democrats, women, and young adults who could seem more sympathetic to her cause.
5. Polls are still highly titled towards the former POTUS
Haley's biggest challenge going into March would be to subvert the expectation of a total Trump blowout. The perception that has been generated from national polling averages is one where Donald Trump is emerging as the clear winner ahead of his immediate GOP rivals. This only implies that the work is certainly cut out for Nikki Haley's campaign to reiterate her talking points, and put the message out on why she should be the one running for the Republicans against Joe Biden's regime ahead of the November general elections.
