Donald Trump defeated former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in the February 24 Republican primary, Forbes reported.
In this way, the former US president dealt another blow to Haley's candidacy in her home state. Trump is on track to win the Republican nomination as early as next month.
Trump was expected to beat Haley by 30% in South Carolina, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average. Haley has vowed to stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday, March 5, despite losses in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and now South Carolina, and calls from party leaders to step down so the GOP can pool its resources to help for Trump's election. Haley has defended her continued candidacy as an attempt to give voters an alternative choice between Trump and Biden, whom she has repeatedly called "grumpy old men."
63. That's how many delegates Trump had won before Saturday's primary, while Haley had won 17. Trump's staff believes he can clinch the nomination by March 12, when Republican primaries are held in Hawaii, Washington, Mississippi and Georgia . Candidates must win a majority of the 2,249 delegates to secure the nomination, though they won't officially become the nominee until delegates vote at the Republican National Convention in July.
Biden won South Carolina on Feb. 3 in the first official Democratic primary contest of the 2024 election cycle. The next contest is in Michigan on Feb. 27, when the state will hold both Republican and Democratic primaries./ BGNES
