Haley spends millions in South Carolina ahead of primary
Nikki Haley has vowed to not drop out of the race before Super Tuesday, a day when Republican contests will be held in 15 U.S. states and one territory, American Samoa.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Palm trees and politics were leading the day on Saturday in the Palmetto State as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is fighting for an upset against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
The 2024 contest in Haley’s home state is crucial as she tries build momentum in the lead up to Super Tuesday on Mar. 5. Accompanied by her family, including her mother who was in a wheelchair, Haley cast her vote at her local polling place on Kiawah Island.
But it’s not clear the former United Nations ambassador will be able to notch the victory she so desperately needs on Saturday. An exclusive Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll released earlier this week found that, among those very likely to vote in the state’s Republican primary, Trump leads Haley by a close to 2-1, 63%-35%.
Meanwhile, Trump has already turned his attention to the general election and will spend most of Saturday in the nation’s capital. He will fly to Columbia, S.C. for a primary watch party in the evening.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live updates from the South Carolina GOP primary and check back here for results.
Former president Donald Trump compared his legal battles to the injustices Black Americans face in the legal system at an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation Friday.
At the event, Trump suggested − inaccurately − that he is popular with African American voters. He said his 91 criminal indictments and mug shot were part of the reason.
“A lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” he told the crowd, of which about two-thirds were Black Americans and one third were white people.
Haley blasted Trump for his comments on primary day, calling them “disgusting.”
“That’s what happens when he goes off the teleprompter,” she told reporters after casting her vote in the primary. “That’s the chaos that comes with Donald Trump.”
− David Jackson
A prominent supporter of Trump warmed up the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference by calling for pardons and commutations for the rioters of Jan. 6, 2021.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, referred to those arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol as “hostages;” the attack was an unsuccessful attempt to stop the electoral vote count that elected President Joe Biden.
CPAC delegates cheered Fitton’s call.
Trump, who has discussed the possibility of pardons for J6 rioters, addresses CPAC later today.
− David Jackson
Outside her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley told reporters she was laser focused on turning out the vote in South Carolina and Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27 and making it through a weeklong push leading into Super Tuesday.
“That’s as far as I’ve thought, in terms of going forward. We’ve placed ad buys, we’ve gone and put out the public schedule of where we’re going to be, and so we’re going to keep on going,” Haley said.
− Francesca Chambers
The primary comes two weeks after Trump’s extraordinary attack on Haley’s husband Michael.
During a rally in Conway, S.C., Trump mocked Michael Haley’s absence from the campaign trail− never mind that he is a service member who is deployed overseas.
“Where’s your husband?” Trump said at one point. “Oh, he’s away … He’s away … What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?! Where is he?! … He’s gone! He knew! He knew!”
In the days since, Haley has described Trump’s comments as “disgusting,” and an attack on all military personnel.
While South Carolina is very much a pro-military state, the Trump attack seems to have had little impact; he still…
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