Multiple media outlets have called the South Carolina Republican primary for former President Donald Trump, dealing a resounding blow to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential bid.
Not even a minute after polls closed in the state at 6 p.m. CT, CNN, The New York Times, and NBC News called the primary race in the former president’s favor.
Initial exit polls conducted by CNN indicated that around 80% of Republican primary voters identified themselves as “conservative,” and more than 40% said they were “very conservative.”
Pollsters surveyed just over 1,500 Republican primary voters at roughly 40 polling locations around South Carolina on Saturday.
Interestingly, an overwhelming majority of voters (more than 75%) interviewed said they had already made up their minds as to who they would vote for before 2024.
Among voters who said they voted for Trump, roughly 90% said they voted “in support of him, rather than against his opponent.” In contrast, about 40% of Haley voters said their vote was motivated by their opposition to Trump, according to CNN’s exit poll.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Trump has been steamrolling the competition on his way to the Republican nomination, securing strong victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
In Nevada, which held both a primary and a caucus, Trump handily won the caucus. Haley did not appear on the caucus ballot. However, in the primary, Trump did not appear on the ballot, but Haley still lost to the “None of These Candidates” option.
After appearing to suffer defeat in her own home state, it is unclear whether Haley will continue her bid to become the Republican nominee.
She previously promised to stay in the race through at least Super Tuesday on March 5.
“The reality is if she has a momentum to keep going, has the money to keep going, you should,” said former congressman and Haley supporter Will Hurd earlier in the day, according to CNN. “This isn’t over until somebody gets 1,215 delegates.”
This article will be updated pending further developments.
Support our non-profit journalism