Nikki Haley to pull out of GOP race without endorsing Trump
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to suspend her presidential campaign, effectively giving the Republican nomination to former President Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning that Haley intends to suspend her campaign following the loss of several state-level races on Super Tuesday.
While Haley will not announce an endorsement, she is expected to encourage Trump to earn the support of those who voted for her during the primary season, according to the Journal.
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The Journal report comes hours after Trump won nearly all of the Republican state-level races held on Tuesday across the country, securing a commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination.
In remarks given to his supporters on Tuesday night, Trump said, "They call it Super Tuesday for a reason," adding, “There's never been one like this; there's never been anything so conclusive.”
For her part, Haley released a statement on Tuesday expressing gratitude for the support she received, especially from voters in Vermont, the one state that she won on Super Tuesday. Vermont is among the states that have an "open primary," which means Democrat voters were able to vote in the Republican Primary and vice versa.
“Today, in state after state, there remains a large bloc of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump," Haley stated. "That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters' concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.”
In the Democrat Primary, incumbent President Joe Biden dominated the state races, getting 1,548 delegates out of 1,556 delegates, putting him only 420 delegates away from securing the DNC nomination.
A former member of the Trump administration, Haley ran a presidential campaign aimed at setting herself up as an alternative to the polarizing rhetoric and character of Trump.
As other prominent GOP hopefuls dropped out after the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary in January. Haley remained in the race with the intention of staying in at least until Super Tuesday was over.
Last month, Trump defeated Haley in her home state of South Carolina, with the former president garnering 59.8% of the vote, while Haley received 39.5%.
At a rally held in Greenville, South Carolina, after she lost that race, Haley stated, “I refuse to quit” and “I’m campaigning every day until the last person votes.”
