Trump Defeats Nikki Haley To Win Republican Primary In South Carolina

Donald Trump easily won the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday, defeating competitor Nikki Haley in her home state and continuing his march to the nomination and a rematch with Joe Biden for the White House.

Trump swept the first four major nominating elections, transforming a year of record-breaking polling into a seemingly unassailable lead heading into the Super Tuesday 15-state voting fiesta in 10 days.

While Haley constantly questioned the 77-year-old former president’s mental capacity and warned that another Trump presidency would bring chaos, her efforts appeared to have had no impact on his popularity among Republicans.

The margin of victory was not immediately evident, although it was expected to be large, with major US networks calling the contest within seconds of votes closing.

Haley, South Carolina’s popular governor in the 2010s and the only woman to enter the Republican primary was hoping to outperform expectations in her backyard and ride into Super Tuesday with wind in her sails.

However, she was unable to compete in a terrain that favored Trump’s blend of right-wing America-first populism and personal grievance over the four indictments and numerous civil cases he is facing.

Trump had previously won Iowa by 30 points and New Hampshire by 10, and due to a dispute in Nevada, the real estate mogul ran unchallenged in the formal contest.

The margin of Trump’s victory was always the key concern in South Carolina, with analysts suggesting that Haley’s ability to close the deficit to 15 points or fewer would have been considered a successful night.

Trump advisers have made it clear that they want Haley out before the Republican National Convention in July, and they anticipate the party to rally around the front-runner ahead of the first of his criminal hearings on March 25.

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