Nikki Haley's Supporters Think She Has No Chance of Beating Trump, But They Don't Care

Nikki Haley is drawing the biggest crowds of her presidential campaign. She just got the support of two US senators.

And she's delivering confident performances to crowds that are louder than ever — even though almost no one in attendance thinks she'll win.

“I just want to say I did something,” said Alyson Emanuel, an attendee at a Haley event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday.

Asked if the former South Carolina governor had any chance of receiving the Republican presidential nomination, Emanuel was blunt: “No. And you want to know? I'm not bothered”.

This is the last and perhaps the conclusive phase of Haley's presidential candidacy. While supporters and those close to Haley saw a narrow path for her to surpass former President Donald Trump just a few weeks ago, they are now under no illusions.

In interviews with 13 voters at Haley's rallies in Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., over the past four days, 11 said they considered Trump's primary victory a certainty, or close to it.

But they left home anyway, they said, to register their displeasure with the former president or to show support for political ideas that were popular among Republicans before Trump arrived on the scene.

These voters, deeply dissatisfied with Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden, will be a crucial constituency heading into a likely rematch in the November general election.

Some of Haley's supporters hope this run will prepare her for another chance in 2028 or that she could benefit if Trump is removed due to legal or health issues, although Haley has consistently downplayed any such motivation.

As she crisscrosses the country ahead of March 5's “Super Tuesday,” when 15 states and one territory will host their nominating contests, Haley has managed to coax applause, chants and shouts of support from capacity crowds.

At the Raleigh event, more than 1,000 people showed up to see her speak at a train station, many of them standing on benches to watch her.

After the event, Haley remained on hand to shake hands and take selfies until the crowd dissipated.

“Discharge fund”

At an event on Friday in Washington, DC, she criticized Trump for spending campaign funds on legal fees.

She said the Republican National Committee would be her legal “flush fund,” before correcting herself, saying it would be her “slush fund.”

“You were right the first time!” one participant shouted, eliciting laughter and applause. “Flush bottom!” another participant shouted.

It's a far cry from some other campaigns in their later stages, which have taken on a sullen or tired air.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, for example, infamously asked a small crowd in New Hampshire to applaud him weeks before abandoning the 2016 primary, which Trump won.

“I think they are happy warriors,” said Chip Felkel, a South Carolina Republican strategist and outspoken Trump critic.

“I don’t know if that’s her intention. But she’s giving a voice to people who don’t want Trump,” Felkel said.

Among these people is John Wright, 60, an airline pilot and self-described “Reagan Republican” at the Haley event in northern Virginia on Thursday (29).

He described Haley as the guardian of a brand of Republican politics that was about to be destroyed, while he wondered what would happen after her defeat.

Trump, he said, has disrespected veterans, damaged America's standing in the world and has an abrasive “personality.”

Still, Trump is clearly strengthening his grip on the party, a point reinforced last week by U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell's decision to step down from his leadership role later this year.

“This party is totally and 100% run by Trump,” Wright said. “It’s like a runaway train and it’s coming off the tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised if an entirely new party rose from the ashes.”

On Sunday, Haley scored her first primary victory, defeating Trump in D.C., where Republicans have long been cool toward the former president. Research shows that it will be difficult to replicate this performance elsewhere.

Still, the campaign celebrated her victory, noting that it was the first victory for a woman in a Republican presidential nomination contest.

“Nikki is fighting for the future of the Republican Party and long-standing conservative principles like fiscal discipline and strong national security,” said campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas. “She’s fighting for the 40% of Republican primary voters who want to make America normal again.”

“Completing the task”

Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, declined to say whether she will remain in the race after Super Tuesday. When pressed by journalists on Saturday, she responded: “We are completing the task.”

In her speech, Haley acknowledges questions about why she remains despite Trump's enormous lead. But she avoids explicitly telling her supporters that she is in the race until the end.

“You know, the whole media is going crazy, like, 'Why does she keep fighting?'” the former South Carolina governor told the crowd in Raleigh on Saturday. “I'm doing this because of my children. It’s because of your children and our grandchildren.”

His rhetoric is a far cry from the lead-up to the South Carolina primary on February 24. Days before the race, which she lost by 20 percentage points, she called a press conference to declare that she would remain in the race, regardless of the results.

“We would love for Haley to win the nomination,” said Robert Schwartz, co-founder of Primary Pivot, an external super political action committee supporting her candidacy. “But it’s very unlikely at this point.”

Still, if she decides to stay past Super Tuesday, she will have a dedicated base willing to pounce.

One person who worked on Haley's campaign described herself as content to “go down with the ship.” Another high-ranking official associated with an external super political action committee that supports Haley said the race is now “as much a crusade as a campaign.”

Among Haley's willing foot soldiers is Christine Kiley, a Republican art dealer who attended Haley's event in Washington, D.C.

She said that Haley has no chance of being nominated, but that her chances don't matter at this point. “If she’s going to stay in the race,” said Kiley, 65, “then she needs her supporters.”