U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley deliver remarks to the press on the UN Human Rights Council, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 19, 2018. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Generally, there don’t seem to be any states left that Haley can realistically win. New Hampshire appeared to be in play because the state allows undeclared voters to participate in the GOP primary — and they make up just shy of 40 percent of the electorate. A few thousand Democrats changed their party registration back in October to log protest votes against the former president and, overall, undeclared voters showed up on Tuesday about as much as registered Republicans. About 70 percent of Haley’s votes came from the undeclared group, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Trump’s massive support among the GOP base. Not to mention the uphill battle Haley faced on the issues, as 41 percent of New Hampshire primary voters said immigration was their top concern — a bread-and-butter issue for Trump. How can she expect to compete in states that only allow Republicans to vote?
Haley might stay in the race regardless, so long as her establishment GOP and Democrat mega-donors continue to bankroll her campaign. A Trump official surmised to me last night at an election watch party in Nashua, New Hampshire that Haley will stay in through Super Tuesday. Maybe she is hoping for a “black swan” event to take out Trump, or maybe she is trying to prove she can compete in preparation for a more contested 2028 primary. Neither of these reasons seem to consider how going head-to-head with the party’s chosen leader with no clear path to victory may permanently damage, if not destroy, her standing with Republican voters.
Mainstream media, seemingly desperate to buoy Haley’s bid, reported after last night’s results that Trump was angry and “seething” at Haley’s election night speech. As Trump put it during his own victory speech, he doesn’t really get angry, he gets “even.” The ebullient crowd at his victory party seemed to confirm that there are not any real concerns about facing Haley post-New Hampshire.
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