Closer-than-expected loss keeps the race going
Former President Donald Trump and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley battled for the Republican presidential nomination in South Carolina on Saturday, when the Southern state hosted the party’s third major competitive contest of the primary season.
For Haley, who was born in South Carolina and served as its governor from 2011 to 2017, the loss in her home state dealt a big blow to her already long odds after Trump had swept the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Here are some key facts about South Carolina’s Republican primary:
CANDIDATES
The Republican field had dwindled to just two candidates: Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.
HOW IT WORKS
The election took place on Saturday. South Carolina does not have party registration, so its primaries are “open”. Registered voters are free to participate in the Republican contest, as long as they skip the Democratic primary, and vice versa.
South Carolina’s primary elections operate like any other vote. Fifty delegates to the Republican National Convention are up for grabs. The statewide winner gets 29 at-large delegates, and three delegates from each of the state’s seven congressional districts are awarded to the winner of each district.
Although South Carolina delegates are a small slice of the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, the state is nevertheless pivotal in determining the eventual nominee due to its early spot on the calendar.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Most analysts believed Haley’s campaign could not survive another loss, especially in her home state. Trump was the first nonincumbent Republican candidate to win Iowa and New Hampshire since the modern primary system was established.
Trump had secured endorsements from the state’s most prominent Republicans, including governor Henry McMaster and US senator Tim Scott.
Though there was no upset victory for Haley the closer-than-expected loss could give her campaign a boost of momentum and fundraising ahead of Super Tuesday on March 5, when Republicans in 15 states and one US territory choose their preferred nominee. The win for Trump, however, is likely to make him the presumptive nominee in the eyes of Republican leaders, voters and donors, and will intensify pressure on Haley to end her campaign.
THE DEMOCRATS
The Democratic primary took place on February 3. President Joe Biden swept past his token opposition, earning more than 96% of the vote.
While the outcome was never in doubt, Democrats had watched the vote closely for signs about the president’s popularity, particularly among the state’s Black voters.
The contest was the first time in history that South Carolina hosted the first official Democratic presidential nominating contest. At Biden’s urging, the party put South Carolina and its racially diverse population ahead of mostly white Iowa and New Hampshire.