SOUTH CAROLINA: Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has vowed to remain in the race, regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, where she is badly trailing former US President Donald Trump.
Addressing a campaign rally in Greensville City, the former South Carolina governor reiterated that she “is not going anywhere” and will continue her bid “till the last person votes”, after speculation that Haley may drop out of the race soon. “Some of you — perhaps a few of you in the media — came here today to see if I’m dropping out of the race. Well, I’m not. Far from it”, Haley said.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor, faces difficult polls in her home state — on top of three consecutive losses to Trump. He and Haley have been in a head-to-head contest for the Republican nomination since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign in January.
“That’s why I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But, on Sunday, I’ll still be running for President. I’m not going anywhere”, she said. “I’m campaigning every day, until the last person votes, because I believe in a better America and a brighter future for our kids”.
The former UN ambassador, who served under Trump, continued to sharpen her critiques of her former boss, calling him a “disaster”, and assessing that he is “more unstable and more unhinged” than he was during his first turn in the White House.
Haley’s bid has been fueled by hefty donations from deep-pocketed donors. And a few Indian Americans appear on Haley’s donor list.
Technology entrepreneur and investor Jiten Agarwal, who is among the major donors of Nikki Haley, has affirmed confidence in the campaign of the former UN ambassador and said that she will not back down “without a fight”.
Agarwal said, “Whether she can secure the nomination against Trump remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Nikki Haley will not back down without a fight. She is going to be in the race till the Republican National Convention in July this year where the Republican party (GOP) presidential nominee will be chosen”.
Agarawal hosted a fundraiser for Nikki Haley’s presidential bid this week in Houston. Haley also held a rally in Dallas and a meet-and-greet in San Antonio in addition to fundraisers in Texas.
The entrepreneur further said that Haley’s message of “unity” and “strong leadership” in an atmosphere of “division and partisanship” in the country has struck a chord with the people of Texas.
“In a political landscape marked by division and partisanship in today’s America, Haley’s message of unity, no chaos and strong leadership has struck a chord with Texans. Texas Republicans are always looking for a good conservative,” he said.
He added, “A large percentage of the party, that’s not as vocal as they probably should be, is looking for somebody who is a no chaos leader of next generation, who has a vision for America, who puts country first rather than own personal interest and who can serve for eight years. Haley is the right choice”.
The Indian entrepreneur said that the campaign is working on getting Indian American voters to turn up in huge numbers to vote both in primaries as well as in the general election. He cited some reports that said that Indian Hindu Americans in Texas, have a low turnout and poor participation in the election process.
Meanwhile, polls consistently show Haley trailing Trump in South Carolina by a considerable margin. According to the latest CBS/YouGov survey, Trump leads Haley among likely voters in South Carolina’s upcoming Republican primary, 65 per cent to 30 per cent.
The Hill’s Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Trump massively leading Haley by 31 points. These results are similar to previous Monmouth University-Washington Post polling, which also found Trump taking majority support. (ANI)