Trump considers his landslide victory over Haley in South Carolina to be “larger than expected” (American press)

Washington

- Candidate and former President Donald Trump achieved his fourth consecutive victory in the Republican Party primary race, as about 452,000 voters voted for him (60% of the votes) in South Carolina, and he secured the votes of 44 of the state’s delegates.

298,681 voters (40% of the votes) voted for Trump's only remaining competitor, Nikki Haley, and she received only 3 of the state's delegate votes.

With this victory, Trump's dominance over the majority of the party's voters was confirmed after he won all the states in which the Republican Party race begins, namely Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire, which prompted the withdrawal of all Republican candidates in front of him except Haley.

During his previous term, Trump chose Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations (Al Jazeera)

Larger than expected

The results of the South Carolina elections indicate that Trump has the physical and mental health necessary to serve as president in the eyes of Republican voters, contrary to what his rival Nikki Haley claimed.

The results of the primary elections, so far, have also shown the deep loyalty that Trump enjoys, especially among conservative evangelical voter bases.

In his speech after announcing the state election results, Trump ignored his Republican rival, Haley, and chose to focus on his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, who is expected to compete with him in next November's elections.

Trump said, "This is truly a wonderful thing. It was a bigger victory than we expected," and added, "There has never been a spirit like this before. The party is more united today than ever before."

Trump's victory in the state that Nikki Haley ruled for eight years was not surprising, as the southern state is among the most conservative and right-wing in the country, and it strongly supported former President Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Four out of every 10 Republicans in the state classify themselves as belonging to the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

Although the South Carolina results represent positive news for Trump, the vote of 40% of voters who are university graduates and independents remains a concern and a source of concern for him, especially if he is convicted in any of the criminal cases in which he is accused.

It is worth noting that Trump is running in the 2024 race despite facing multiple indictments amounting to 91 criminal charges, in addition to two civil trials in which he was sentenced to pay fines estimated at nearly half a billion dollars.

Big hit

With her not having won any state primaries so far, it is difficult to imagine a path that would allow Trump's only rival to win the party's ticket.

However, Nikki Haley's campaign continues to spend millions of dollars on promotional election campaigns and television advertisements in states that vote on March 5.

Pressure is increasing on Haley to withdraw and show the party's unity behind Trump in his difficult confrontation with his Democratic rival, Biden.

Haley, who had previously been chosen by Trump to represent his country as ambassador to the United Nations, has come to reflect the traditional conservative thinking of the Republican Party in the face of Trump's tyrannical right-wing populism.

Haley promotes the statement that three-quarters of Americans do not want a second presidential competition between Biden and Trump, and reiterates that she is in a much stronger position than Trump if she faces Biden.

However, its dilemma remains its inability to skip the step of defeating Trump in any state in the primary elections so far.

The defeat of Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina for two consecutive terms, represents a major blow to her fortunes and electoral hopes, as it is rare for a candidate to lose his home state in the party’s primary race.

Despite practically losing hopes of victory, it announced its determination to continue fighting at least until next month, and to wait for the elections on Tuesday, the fifth of next March, when 16 states will vote together on the same day.

Trump said that his victory in the South Carolina elections is an indication that the Republican Party is more united than before (Getty)

"A woman of my word"

The bases of a Republican coalition that Haley relied on, consisting of moderate Republicans and those who reject Trump, especially voters in the suburbs, who received college education and have left the party since the rise of Trump in 2016, are quickly evaporating. She also relied on independents who are allowed to vote in the Republican primaries in some states. , such as New Hampshire and South Carolina.

After her defeat yesterday, Haley said, “There are large numbers of voters in the Republican primary who say they want an alternative.” “I said that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I will continue to run for president.”

I am a woman of my word.

"I will not give up this fight at a time when the majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden."

Officially, a candidate needs to obtain the votes of 1,215 delegates in order to be crowned with the party’s ticket for the presidential nomination at the national level.

Trump will run in the next leg of the elections in the state of Michigan next Tuesday, where he is expected to achieve another landslide victory, which may increase pressure on Haley to withdraw so that Trump and the Republican Party can devote themselves to Democratic competitor Joe Biden.

Source: Al Jazeera