Former Governor humiliated in home state
Former President Donald Trump decisively won the South Carolina GOP primary on Saturday, February 24, dealing a massive blow to the state’s former governor Nikki Haley. Trump’s victory comes on the heels of another notable win in Nevada’s Republican Caucus on February 15 and in the U.S. Virgin Islands on February 8. This was the penultimate race before Super Tuesday on March 5.
The Associated Press called the race for Trump almost immediately after polls closed at 7 p.m. EST. With 99% of votes counted, the former president led Haley by over 20 points, 59.8% to 39.5%. The result was overwhelming but not particularly surprising; Trump had consistently been predicted to defeat Haley in pre-election polls, even in light of the fact that the latter has been a central figure in South Carolina politics for over two decades. Haley served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011 and then later as the state’s governor from 2011 to 2017. Haley vacated her office when she was appointed by President Trump to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
Born and raised in South Carolina, Haley placed special emphasis on the outcome of the Palmetto State’s primary. Her focus was so intense that she chose not to campaign in the earlier contest in Nevada, where she suffered an embarrassing defeat to the “none of these candidates” option on the state-run Republican primary ballot.
Despite Haley’s efforts in South Carolina, which included a massive advertising campaign and dozens of campaign events, she did not come remotely close to victory. Trump dominated almost everywhere, especially in Horry County (Myrtle Beach), where he won 67% of the vote, and in the state’s highly evangelical northwest corner. In the rural Bamberg County, where the former governor was born, Trump led Haley by a margin of 65% to 35%. In Pickens County, home to Haley’s alma mater Clemson University, the margin was even more lopsided—32% for Haley to 68% won by the former president. Finally, in Lexington County, where she once served as a state legislator, Haley was defeated by a margin of 58% to 41%.
If there was one bright spot for Haley’s performance, it was her wins in Charleston and the Lowcountry, where she was aided by the crossover votes of Democrats and independents. Haley also won Richland County, home to the state’s capital of Columbia. Turnout, around 755,000 votes, narrowly exceeded that of past competitive primary elections in South Carolina.
Exit polls showed Trump’s victory was driven by strong support among white evangelical Christians, young voters, those who considered immigration as their top issue, and those who supported a federal ban on abortion. By contrast, Haley did well among highly educated voters and those who identified as moderate or liberal. Just as in New Hampshire, Haley was likely aided by South Carolina’s open primary system, which allows voters to participate in the primary of their choice regardless of previous party affiliation.
In his victory speech, Trump thanked the many South Carolina politicians that had stood with him in his efforts to win the state. These included Governor Henry McMaster, as well as Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Tim Scott. Scott, who was appointed to the Senate by then-Governor Haley in 2012, is an outspoken supporter of President Trump’s campaign. Trump continued by claiming that “the Republican Party has never been so united” and said he would call the general election “tomorrow” if he could. He did not mention Haley in his remarks.
For her part, Haley congratulated Trump on his overwhelming victory in the state. She began her remarks by stressing the need to tell the “hard truths” of politics. Despite seemingly admitting defeat and acknowledging that the polling for the states ahead did not favor her, she did not suspend her campaign. Haley justified this decision by claiming, “Donald Trump cannot beat Joe Biden,” ignoring polls showing Trump leading Biden convincingly in almost every swing state. Despite her decision to remain a candidate heading into Super Tuesday, signs began to emerge by Sunday that Haley’s expansive donor network had lost confidence in her path to victory. Most notably, Americans for Prosperity Action, a neoconservative group backed by the powerful Koch family, announced they were ending spending on behalf of her campaign.
Notre Dame students expressed satisfaction with Trump’s strong performance but also continued fatigue with the flailing campaign that has been run by Nikki Haley. Sophomore Owen Lynn told the Rover that Haley represents a “brand of conservatism that died with the election of Donald Trump in 2016.” He added that Haley’s defeat in her home state, despite “a relentless effort by the Republican establishment and the donor class” to boost her, reveals that the GOP after Trump’s emergence “remains that way.”
Elliot Anderson, the President of Notre Dame’s College Republicans, echoed Lynn’s sentiment, calling Haley’s defeat indicative of “the declining relevance of neoconservatism in the United States.” He called on Haley to immediately drop out, arguing that “Americans, and especially conservatives, have rejected Nikki.”
Junior Luca Fanucchi was slightly more conciliatory, saying that he “respected the effort Haley is putting into her campaign,” but argued she is “just wasting money.” He added that “Former President Trump will be the nominee, and we need to unite behind him and beat President Biden.”
After the February 27 primary in Michigan, the race will move to Super Tuesday on March 5, when Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and American Samoa will cast their ballots. Polls show Trump’s lead in these states ranging from anywhere from 30 to 70 points.
Shri Thakur is a sophomore studying economics and constitutional studies. If he lost an election to “none of the above,” he’d probably retreat from polite society and relocate to a small town in rural France. You can contact him at sthakur3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: South Carolina General Assembly, Wikimedia Commons
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.
