If Trump loses the presidential election, he may seek a leadership role within the party.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who lost a series of defeats in the Republican presidential primary, is resolute in her determination to finish the race. Attention is focused on the intention in a situation where even the financial support needed to complete the race is cut off one by one.
According to the camp website on the 26th (local time), former Ambassador Haley held a campaign schedule for the Republican primary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s been two days since he lost in the ‘pro-government’ South Carolina primary.
Former Ambassador Haley is the only one fighting against former President Donald Trump in the party’s primary ahead of this year’s presidential election. Ahead of the South Carolina primary, which has been a close race, the party attempted to expand its influence based on centrist conservative votes instead of hard-core party members.
However, the results in South Carolina were also unexpected. Former Ambassador Haley received 39.5% of the vote in this region and was soundly defeated by former President Trump, who received 59.8%. With a gap of over 20 percentage points, it is assessed that even the potential for future surprises has been cut off.
With former President Trump winning consecutive victories in the Republican primary that began in January, there is considerable public opinion within the party that former Ambassador Haley should resign. Even the runners who resigned first publicly said, “The primary is over,” and support former President Trump.
However, despite pressure to resign from within the party, former Ambassador Haley is expressing her determination to complete the race. “This is a fight for the soul of America,” he said on
Will former Ambassador Haley, who has lost five times in a row, actually be able to complete the primary? The general view is that he is not that easy. First of all, his defeat is complete, and it appears that even the funds necessary for the immediate election are slowly being cut off.
In relation to this, according to CNN, etc., Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a conservative group founded by the American billionaire brothers Koch Brothers, announced that it would stop supporting former Ambassador Haley’s camp after the South Carolina primary.
“Given the challenges ahead in the primary states, we believe that no outside group will be able to make a material difference that will widen her (Haley’s) path to victory,” AFP said in a letter to staff.
Although it will continue to support former Ambassador Haley’s challenge, the organization’s policy is to focus future material support on key Senate and House elections. This is not good news for former Ambassador Haley’s camp.
Why is former Ambassador Haley not easily withdrawing from the primary even though she is losing money in a row?
In relation to this, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported some views that former Ambassador Haley may seek to build influence in a third party in the future or take on the role of leader of the party if the Republican Party is defeated in this year’s presidential election.
WSJ said, “There are voices of support for Haley within the ‘Never Trump’ faction of the Republican Party, including a group of trusted former officials who say they no longer recognize her party.” He said.
In this regard, after the 2020 presidential election, in which former President Trump failed to be re-elected, a fierce struggle took place within the Republican Party over the ‘post-Trump’ line. Currently, the mainstream party again supports former President Trump, but there are still voices from orthodox conservatives who are wary of right-wing and extremism.
It is possible to analyze that former Ambassador Haley is looking beyond the current Republican Party, which is centered on so-called ‘MAGA (Make America Great Again) party members, and perhaps looking to the post-election period.
However, so far, the prevailing view seems to be that former Ambassador Haley will eventually officially withdraw from the primary around ‘Super Tuesday’ on March 5th. Former Ambassador Haley plans to continue campaigning in Colorado, Utah, Virginia, and Washington DC.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.