JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP
Nikki Haley in New Hampshire on January 24, 2024.
UNITED STATES – A big smile, a crazy crowd … Despite her defeat in the New Hampshire Republican primary against Donald Trump this Tuesday, January 23, Nikki Haley reiterated that she had no intention of lowering her arm . But the road is still very long.
The results are somewhat encouraging for the former UN ambassador, who received more than 43% of the vote compared to 54% for Donald Trump. The reason for this optimism: the polls gave her less than 40% of voting intentions, a gap of 15 to 20 points compared to her competitor.
His enthusiasm could be felt on stage shortly after the preliminary results were announced. She prioritized Donald Trump, whom she congratulated on his result, saying, “You've heard everyone say the race is already over.” I have to tell you something: New Hampshire is the country's first primary, not the last. The race is far from over! »
Nikki Haley forgets Nevada
To the cheers of her supporters, she emphasizes that she has “received almost 50% of the vote” and claims to be a “fighter” waiting for only one thing: the primaries in South Carolina, the state she led between 2011 and 2017 His voters share his optimism, reports the New York Times, which was able to interview some of them. They manage to believe that Trump could finally be defeated.
A gap of just 10 points between the two candidates is a real testament to Kimberly Rice, a member of Nikki Haley's campaign team. She told Politico she was “very positive and just very optimistic about the future.”
But American political analysts aren't so sure. First of all, remember that South Carolina, whose Republican primary takes place on February 24th, will host the Nevada Caucus on February 3rd. An anomaly has led to a primary election also being organized this year.
The problem for Haley: She will only be present in the primary, where it will not be possible to win delegates. However, these are essential. They are the ones who will be invited to the party convention this summer and will decide who will run against the Democratic candidate in November. The 49 delegates up for election in Nevada come from the faction in which Trump is represented.
Money, the nerve of war
After largely winning Iowa and then New Hampshire, Donald Trump will now have a new lead by winning (barring any surprises) the Nevada caucus with a large share, if not all, of the delegates. Conversely, Nikki Haley will have to wait until the end of February to prove her strength.
But new problem: If she believes in her “favorite South Carolina,” she remains far behind the ex-president in the polls in that state. According to the website FiveThirtyEight, on January 23, Donald Trump dominated the race with 60.9% of voting intentions, compared to just 25% for Nikki Haley.
South Carolina Republican primary poll from January 23, 2024.
Nikki Haley may soon finally face another hurdle: money. So far she has always been able to count on her self-help groups and her small and large donors. But after two losses and a bleak outlook, will she still be able to raise the millions of dollars she needs to survive this election campaign? Nothing is less safe.
See also on HuffPost:
You cannot view this content because:
- By subscribing, you have opted out of cookies related to third-party content. You will therefore not be able to play our videos, which require third-party cookies to function.
- You are using an ad blocker. We recommend you disable it to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases apply to you, contact us at [email protected].