Against Donald Trump, Nikki Haley plans to go to South Carolina but the road is long

United States – A big smile, a delirious crowd… Despite her defeat in the Republican primary in New Hampshire against Donald Trump this Tuesday, January 23, Nikki Haley assured that she has no intention of giving up. But the road is still long.

The results are encouraging for the former UN ambassador, who won more than 43% of the vote against 54% for Donald Trump. The reason for this optimism: polls gave her less than 40% voting intentions, a gap of 15 to 20 points over her opponent.

Soon after the provisional announcement of the results, his enthusiasm was visible on the stage. Giving preference to Donald Trump, whom she congratulated on his score, she declared: “You hear them all saying that the race is already over. I have to tell them something: New Hampshire is the first primary in the country, not the last. The race is far from over! »

Nikki Haley forgets Nevada

To the cheers of her supporters, she insists she has “About 50% of the votes were” And guaranteed to happen “fight” There’s only one thing waiting for her: South Carolina’s primary, the state she led between 2011 and 2017. His constituents share his optimism, the report said New York Times who were able to question some of them. They believe that Trump can finally be defeated.

The gap of only ten points between the two candidates is a real sign for Kimberly Rice, a member of Nikki Haley’s campaign. To Politico, she says she feels “Very positive, and very optimistic for the future”.

But political analysts on American channels are not so sure. He first recalls that before South Carolina, whose primary will be held on February 24 for Republicans, the Nevada caucus will be held on February 3. An anomaly means that this year, a primary is also scheduled.

The problem for Haley: He’ll only be there for the primary, where winning delegates won’t be possible. However, this is essential. They are the ones who will be invited to the party convention this summer and decide who will face the Democratic nominee in November. The 49 delegates to the eclipse in Nevada are from the caucus, where Trump is represented.

Money, the nerve of war

After largely winning Iowa, then New Hampshire, Donald Trump will therefore gain a new lead (barring any surprises) by winning the Nevada caucus with most if not all of the delegates. In contrast, Nikki Haley will have to wait until late February to prove her mettle.

But a new problem: if she believes in him “South Carolina Sweetheart”, he is far behind the former president in this state’s polls. As of January 23, Donald Trump dominated the race with 60.9% voting intention, compared to only 25% for Nikki Haley, according to the site FiveThirtyEight.

Nikki Haley may finally face another obstacle soon: money. So far, she has always been able to count on her support groups, her donors big and small. But after two defeats and bleak prospects, will he still manage to raise the millions of dollars he will need to survive the campaign? Nothing is less certain.

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