USA / Trump advances, Haley persists

The former US ambassador to the United Nations is now launching her candidacy in response to the latest polls showing a large percentage of the American public does not want a repeat of the 2020 duel between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

“As I said earlier in the week, regardless of what happens in South Carolina, I will continue to pursue the anointing. And I keep my word. In the next 10 days, another 21 states will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style one-candidate election. And I have the duty to offer them that option,” said Nikki Haley after the match.

With 50% of the votes counted in South Carolina, D. Trump secured 59.6% against N. Haley’s 39.7%. “It’s a great day,” said the match winner. Referring to the upcoming battles for the Republican nomination, Mr. Trump also discounted a victory in Michigan on Tuesday ahead of the so-called “Super Tuesday” next month, when primaries will be held in 15 US states.

And of course he promised to defeat President Biden in November, whom he accused of “ruining the country”. “We’ll tell him: Joe, you’re fired! Get out!” he said to applause from his supporters.

N. Haley has announced a huge advertising campaign ahead of “Super Tuesday”. After all, despite the successive defeats, the sponsors do not seem to be abandoning her. In January alone, it raised $11.5 million, while Trump’s staff managed to raise $8.8 million.

Huge lead

Nevertheless, it is considered unlikely that Haley will achieve her first victory in Michigan. A recent poll showed Trump leading by… 60 percentage points – 79% to 19% for N. Haley.

Trump’s staff has repeatedly expressed their displeasure with Haley’s stubborn refusal to drop out of the race despite back-to-back losses. Her argument for staying is that some metrics show her in a better position than D. Trump to defeat J. Biden in November.

A recent survey by Marquette University Law School showed her leading the incumbent President by 16 percentage points among registered voters while Trump held a four-point lead.

Few political analysts, however, believe that N. Haley’s effort is as quixotic as she shows it. Some believe that with her stay she is putting pressure on D. Trump for an important position in his government if he wins the presidential election. Others believe she is staying in the race, anticipating that one of her opponent’s numerous legal backlogs with the US Justice Department could lead to his own last-minute withdrawal from the race.

There is, of course, another explanation: Haley is simply putting down a mortgage for the 2028 presidential election. If that is indeed the case, today’s campaign could be something of a dress rehearsal, from her sponsorships to her performance. in each state separately. “Voters will remember that she was a credible candidate,” says political analyst Ron Bonzan on the British BBC network.