How does Trump’s victory in the South Carolina primary affect the presidential race?

Unsurprisingly to most following the 2024 GOP primary election, Donald Trump has secured a victory in South Carolina. In the home state of Nikki Haley, his top rival, fifty-nine percent of voters opted for the former president.

What does this victory mean for the presidential race? Very little. Haley has said she will stay in the race through Super Tuesday, which is slated for early March. However, the fact that she could not secure the state where she was elected twice as governor does not bode well for her chances of reaching the White House.

The Trump campaign was confident of their chances in South Carolina, and the results prove they were right to have that attitude.

Nikki Haley responds to her loss in South Carolina

In response to her loss, Haley addressed a cheering crowd with the message of looking forward to Michigan, the next state on the primary calendar. Haley spoke about her mother, an immigrant from India, and the pride she felt being able to cast her ballot for her daughter.

In a tweet sent earlier on election day, the former governor recommitted to staying in the race because she sees her candidacy as a way to give another option to the electorate. “I’m not giving up this fight when most Americans disapprove of Trump and Biden. In the next 10 days, 21 states and territories will speak,” posted the candidate on X. She added that voters “have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate.”

Currently, FiveThirtyEight has Haley more than thirty points behind Trump in the primary, and without a quick and massive shift among voters her chances of making it to White House are slim to none.