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Will Nikki Haley's battle strategy against Trump work?

As the results came in, Haley pushed the message to supporters that she's going to hang on for as long as she can.
Posted at 10:09 PM, Feb 24, 2024

Nikki Haley has the money to stay in the race. Her funding is there, so she'll have that support according to Mike Leon, the host of the "Can We Please Talk," podcast. 

Leon told Scripps News, "The math's not 'mathing' for her [Haley]... it's just not realistic for her right now."

Leon said, "She can't get mad about the question: will she stay in?"

Haley's campaign manager said Saturday the campaign plans to pour somewhere around seven figures in campaign funding into some states to try and gain some ground in the race. 

"The problem has been, for Nikki Haley, the goal post of the messaging has been moving," Leon said. 

Now over the last two months, after voters have gone to the ballot box, she appears to be losing in various states. 

Exit poll of South Carolina GOP voters shows support for Trump
Nikki Haley and Donald Trump.

Exit poll of South Carolina GOP voters shows support for Trump

A Decision Desk HQ exit poll gauging voter attitudes but not necessarily the outcome of the South Carolina primary saw strong support still for

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It's unclear what messages she is discussing behind the scenes with her donors, Leon said. Haley is going up against, in essence, "a machine" when it comes to the Trump campaign, he said. 

It's all about primary voters right now, going out to the ballot box, sometimes in inclement weather. 

A significant portion of the electorate are registered as independents, and that makes it harder to know which way they will sway in their favor for candidates. 

"What I've seen today is South Carolina's frustration with our country," Haley said on Saturday. 

"It seems like our country is falling apart," she said. "America will come apart if we make the wrong choices."

Haley told supporters, "This has never been about my political future."

"We need to beat Joe Biden in November," she said. "I don't believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden."