South Carolina Republican Primary Live Updates: Donald Trump wins South Carolina, Haley vows to stay in race

CNN predicts that South Carolina’s 2nd and 4th Congressional districts will go to ex-President Donald Trump, giving him six more delegates.

Trump has already secured 44 delegates in the state. The last six delegates will be split between the winners of the 1st and 6th Congressional districts, with three delegates each.

As Michigan, a crucial state for the US presidential race with a sizable Arab-American community, votes in its primaries on Tuesday, Biden faces a backlash from many Democratic voters of Arab descent. They are furious with him for his staunch backing of Israel amid its attacks on Gaza.

Many of them vow to mark “uncommitted” on their ballots as a sign of protest and refuse to support the Democrat in the general election.

This could jeopardize Biden’s chances of winning Michigan, where a recent poll showed him slightly behind Trump.

In a statement reacting to the primary outcomes of tonight, President Biden denounced Donald Trump for his remarks at the Black Conservative Federation gala on Friday.

“Last night in South Carolina, Donald Trump stood on stage to make shameful, racist comments that tap into a hatred and divisiveness that is the very worst of us,” Biden said.

CNN has reported that Biden’s re-election campaign is using Trump’s win in South Carolina as a fundraising opportunity.

The campaign email to potential donors said that Trump is “on track” to be the GOP’s presidential candidate.

It asked for a chance to share how this affects the importance of this election and, if possible, a donation to support the campaign.

Speaking with CNN, South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn asserted that the legal challenges faced by Trump serve as a compelling reason for Haley to remain in the race for the Republican nomination.

“I don’t think that she should take herself out of it, especially if she has the resources,” Clyburn conveyed to the news outlet. “She should keep going. If I were in her place, that is what I would do.”

Clyburn highlighted the potential advantages for Haley, not only from a potential Trump conviction but also from other potential "embarrassments" he might encounter.

“What is going to happen if they call the bill and he’s not able to pay? There’s a lot of things that could happen, short of a conviction in a court on any kind of felonies,” Clyburn remarked.

Despite losing in her home state, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is not giving up on her campaign. According to her campaign manager Betsy Ankney, she is set to visit Michigan and eight other states that will vote on Super Tuesday in the next 10 days. Haley’s itinerary reflects her focus on the northeastern and western states, where she hopes to win more delegates. In particular, one of her campaign officials revealed that she aims to get more than 50% of the vote in Massachusetts and Vermont, which have a winner-take-all rule.

New York Times predicts that Donald Trump will lose Charleston, Richland and Beaufort- 3 South California counties

The lead super PAC backing Nikki Haley’s campaign reported a $500,000 ad buy in Michigan, the next state to vote.

SFA Fund will spend the money on digital ads in the Wolverine State, according to a new FEC filing. It’s the biggest Republican ad buy in Michigan so far, and a sign that Haley’s network wants to keep running for president after losing South Carolina.

The Michigan primary, on February 27, has seen little ad spending, unlike Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

Haley’s campaign has spent about $437,000 on ads in Michigan, the only one to spend over $100,000. SFA Fund’s new ad buy is its first in the state.

The ex-governor and UN ambassador praised Trump for his win.

“I love the people of our state, regardless of the outcome,” she said to her fans in Charleston.

But Haley said she thinks Trump can’t defeat Biden in the general election.

“Our country is in trouble. But here’s the thing: America will fall apart if we choose wrong. This was never about me or my career. We have to beat Joe Biden in November,” she said.

“I think Donald Trump can’t beat Joe Biden.”

The South Carolina primary, the first in the US South this election cycle, is over but the candidates are already eyeing the next vote.

On Tuesday, February 27, both parties will compete in the Michigan primary, a state with many union workers and Arab Americans, important groups.

Haley, who voted in Kiawah, South Carolina, on Saturday morning, said she would leave for Michigan the next day.

“We’re going to Michigan tomorrow morning. We’ll campaign there and then go to Super Tuesday states,” she said.

“That’s how far I’ve planned, for now. We’ve bought ads. We’ve announced our schedule. So we’re not stopping.”

Nikki Haley, the ex-governor and UN envoy, vowed to keep running for president, despite losing the GOP primary in her home state.

“I'm a woman of my word,” she said in Charleston, South Carolina, reminding of her earlier commitment to stay in the race until Super Tuesday.

“I'm not giving up this fight.” She added, “Today is not the end of our story.”

Haley savors the applause before starting her speech with gratitude for her family, especially her husband, Maj. Michael Haley, and her children, who have been very supportive, “maybe too much,” she jokes. She says it was an honor to serve her state. Haley acknowledges Trump’s win. “I love the people of our state, regardless of the outcome,” she says.

Nikki Haley, the former governor and UN ambassador, voted in the South Carolina Republican primary at a private centre on Kiawah Island, along with her mother and children.

She told reporters that she was thankful for the opportunity and that she would not quit the primary anytime soon.

“I’m not giving up until Super Tuesday,” Haley said, when asked about her future plans. “That’s how far I’ve planned ahead.”

She also explained that her earlier statement about staying in the race “until the last person votes” meant the last person in South Carolina, not the last person in the country.

The AP announced Trump as the winner right after the polls closed in South Carolina. It made this decision based on AP VoteCast, a detailed survey of the state’s Republican primary voters.

“The survey confirms the findings of pre-Election Day polls showing Trump far outpacing Haley statewide,” the AP said.

It also said that Trump had a “huge margin” of victory in every part of the state.

“Declaring a winner as polls close based on the results of AP’s VoteCast survey — and before election officials publicly release tabulated votes — is not unusual in heavily lopsided contests like Saturday’s primary.”

During her speech, Nikki Haley said that her mother Raj Kaur Randhawa was never able to sit on the bench in India. Raj Kaur received her law degree from the University of Delhi.

Haley's parents emigrated from India to Canada in 1964.

“My mom, when she was in India, she was a lawyer and one of the first female judges. And because of the times, she was never able to sit on the bench,” Haley shared.

As the vote count showed Nikki Haley crossing the 40 per cent mark, her supporters erupted in joy. They clanged cowbells and held up Haley signs. Many of them said they would not be disheartened even if she lost her home state, as long as she made progress and beat the expectations.

During his victory speech, Donald Trump ignored Nikki Haley completely. He only mentioned her humiliating defeat by the “None of These Candidates” option in Nevada, without acknowledging her as a contender.

Trump boasted a “larger victory than we expected” in the South Carolina Republican Primary Saturday night, saying he can’t wait to face President Biden in November and say, “Joe, you’re fired.”

The former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner was declared the winner of the primary as soon as the polls closed Saturday night.

“This is really something. This was a little sooner than we anticipated and an even bigger win than we anticipated,” Trump said.

“And I was just informed that we got double the number of votes that has ever been received in the great state of South Carolina.”

Edison Research's projection claims that the former president will pocket at least 38 delegates in South Carolina, with 12 yet to be allocated

Trump welcomed South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and South Carolina Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott to the stage after his victory speech.

The trio of South Carolina Republicans roused the audience, with McMaster saying, “Don’t forget this moment that you witnessed … We’re at full speed. We’re not stopping.”

Scott posed a question to the jubilant crowd, “One survey question … Is South Carolina Trump country?”

And Graham praised Trump’s victory by calling him “the most qualified man to be president of the United States.”"

As he often does, Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, for backing him up. But Graham is far from being a favorite among the crowd here, who booed him loudly when he took the stage, as they usually do at Trump rallies. Donald Trump also praised Michael Whatley, the North Carolina Republican Party chair and his preferred candidate for the Republican National Committee chair. Trump said he expected Whatley to become the R.N.C. leader, and then he mentioned Kellyanne Conway and hinted that she could also have a role in the committee.

With several outlets prediction that Donald Trump will take the South Carolina Republican primary and all 29 of its statewide delegates by 7 p.m. ET.

The other 21 delegates will go to the winners of each of the seven congressional districts, with three delegates per district.

In the primaries so far, Trump has 92 delegates and Nikki Haley has 17.

After winning every major primary, Donald Trump claims that “never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now.”

“Our country is going to be respected again, respected like never before. So this is a fantastic evening. It's an early evening, but a fantastic one,” he continued.

He has not said anything about Nikki Haley or even hinted at her.

Several outlets including AP, CNN, and NBC predict that Donald Trump, the former President, will secure victory in South Carolina's Republican primary, surpassing Nikki Haley in her home state. The primary involves the allocation of fifty GOP delegates.

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick said Haley should do some hard thinking about the future of her campaign if she loses her home state.

“If after South Carolina you’re oh-and-four, and you’re looking at the rest of the calendar where President Trump has a 30- to 50-point lead in all these states — again, you have to do some soul-searching,” McKissick said Saturday.

Source: Bloomberg