Trump wins South Carolina, beating Nikki Haley in her home state

Former US President Donald Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley in South Carolina’s Republican contest, extending his winning streak as he marches toward a third consecutive presidential nomination and a rematch with President Joe Biden.

Trump had been widely favoured to win the Southern state, despite his litany of criminal charges and Haley’s status as a native of South Carolina who won two terms as governor.

The big win bolstered calls from Trump’s allies that Haley, his last remaining challenger, should drop out of the race.

But Haley, who outperformed expectations based on opinion polls, defiantly insisted she would fight on at least through “Super Tuesday” on March 5, when Republicans in 15 states and one US territory will cast ballots.

Trump won with 59.8 percent support against 39.5 percent for Haley with 99 percent of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research.

Statewide opinion polls before yesterday had given Trump an average lead of 27.6 percentage points, according to the tracking website 538.

“Forty percent is not some tiny group,” Haley said of her vote share. “There are huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries who are saying they want an alternative.”

(RTE)

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