Nikki Haley is facing broadening calls to drop out of the GOP primary even as she publicly signals no intention to do so ahead of South Carolina’s contest next month.

The head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Georgia Republican Party and growing numbers of GOP lawmakers are urging her to drop out, arguing she has no realistic path to the nomination against frontrunner former President Trump.

There are incentives for Haley to keep going, but also risks. She’s up to 17 delegates after New Hampshire and has the potential to win more in the coming primaries, which could set her up to be an alternate nominee to Trump as he faces myriad legal battles.

At the same time, Haley could become demonized within the GOP if her campaign ends up angering rank-and-file Republican voters who want the party to unify behind its likely nominee.

  • gregorum@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    While I have no desire for her (or any republican) to win, I very much enjoy her campaign of pissing off Trump and bleeding away his voters.

    • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      She needs to do well enough for Trump’s big mouth to alienate as many of her supporters as possible, but still ultimately lose the primary because let’s face it, right now she’s going to win if it’s her against Biden, unless if Biden plays the rescheduling card.

      • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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        9 months ago

        Trump will run as an independent if anyone else wins the Republican Primary, from a jail cell if necessary. If they nominate anyone else, he’ll split the vote and secure Biden’s second term.

        Haley only wins against Biden if Trump is out of the race, and then only if MAGA dipshits are willing to switch allegiances.

        • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Let’s be realistic, Haley is getting nominated because Trump died or because he was barred from the race somehow.

          He might try to mount a write in campaign but at that point the entire RNC apparatus will be mustered against him, as many supposed loyalists as he’s stacked the place with, I imagine very few among RNC leadership would actually have the appetite for being seen openly undermining a court order barring him from office under the 14th amendment, or mounting a write in campaign for his ghost.

          • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            9 months ago

            I imagine very few among RNC leadership would actually have the appetite for being seen openly undermining a court order barring him from office under the 14th amendment,

            I disagree. Not because they want him to win, but because they want to run for office themselves, and such brazen disregard for the judicial process would greatly appeal to MAGAts.

      • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        Nah. It took direct and considerable public shaming to get her to barely admit that the civil war happened over slavery.

        She doesnt need a keynote anywhere.

      • Phegan@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You want the DNC keynote to be someone running for another party’s nomination? As opposed to the people who have aligned beliefs?

  • Birdie@thelemmy.club
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    9 months ago

    I hope she sticks it out. It’s so amusing to see Trump lose his shit over this, and to see the party leader bow down to him.

    Keep on going, Nikki.

    • MrMcGasion@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      We have open primaries in SC, I haven’t voted in a Republican primary since 2016, when I was young and stupid, and believed the “fiscal responsibility” and “individual liberty” lies of the Republicans (and also wanted to rub my vote against Trump then in the faces of family who supported him). Even though I’ve told myself it’ll be a cold day in hell before I vote for a Republican again, I’m a little tempted to go vote for Haley in the primary. Not that I want her as president, because she’d be terrible too, but at least she doesn’t ramble on about her dreams of being a dictator, or having “absolute authority.”

  • paddirn@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Is she hoping for some sort of last-minute event that disqualifies Trump or puts him in jail or something (which still likely wouldn’t prevent his run)? Or is she just trying to slow him as much as possible to prevent him from moving to general campaigning? I still wouldn’t ever vote for her, but I’m glad she’s still in, I just don’t get what she’s doing.

      • tal@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        If she’s the only alternative in the primary race and he has a heart attack or something, I would assume that she winds up becoming the Republican nominee.

        • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          The SCOTUS could disqualify Trump in February. They probably won’t, but it could happen. No reason to drop out before that. It’s not like Meatball is going to try to jump back in the race.

  • LopensLeftArm@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    She should stay in campaigning as long as she can, then in the ultimate troll move drop out and endorse Biden, just to watch Trump’s head explode like the guy in Scanners.

  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    She’s got a better calculus than they do.

    Drum either : 🦵 🪣 or legally can’t run because he’s been federally convinced, she wins .

    it’s a bad bet on her part to drop out now

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Yeah, she really has nothing to lose. Trump isn’t actually running against her, and he’s already “banned permanently” her and her followers. She isn’t expected to win, so she can’t lose. And if she doesn’t get the nomination this time, at least she is poised for 2028 and beyond.

      She just needs to run a clean campaign, no major gaffs or scandals.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Nikki Haley is facing broadening calls to drop out of the GOP primary even as she publicly signals no intention to do so ahead of South Carolina’s contest next month.

    One Trump ally in the RNC submitted a draft resolution that made headlines this week, proposing the party declare the former president as its “presumptive 2024 nominee” even as he boasts just 32 of the 1,215 delegates needed to get the nod.

    The draft argued there was no path forward for Haley and moved to kick the party into “full general election mode welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024.”

    The numbers out of New Hampshire show Haley has the backing of some disaffected Republicans, moderates and independents, Felkel noted, and Trump must work to avoid alienating those groups as he knocks his primary rival.

    Trump — who in 2020 sought to claim victory even as votes were still being counted and continues to deny the results of the election — was noticeably annoyed by Haley’s positive framing of her second-place New Hampshire win.

    Polling averages for South Carolina put Trump more than 30 points above Haley, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, and some observers are skeptical of whether she has the momentum to keep going — and whether she’ll want to risk embarrassment on her home turf.


    The original article contains 1,291 words, the summary contains 224 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    Given how slavishly the national GOP has prostrated themselves before Trump, I hope she sticks in it until the bitter end, if for no other reason than to just fuck with them.