Nikki Haley is following through on her vow to stay in the GOP presidential race through Super Tuesday where she is searching for her first victory in a nomination contest dominated by former President Donald Trump.
The Republican race has been stuck in a veritable time loop with Ms. Haley repeatedly losing to Mr. Trump and then vowing to fight another day.
Her final stand could come Tuesday when 15 states and one territory hold nominating contests that will again test her theory that a lot of Republican voters do not want a Trump sequel.
Ms. Haley’s never-say-die approach has fueled much speculation about why she is staying in the race long after her chance of flipping the script has faded.
Some think that Ms. Haley is hanging around just in case Mr. Trump’s legal struggles become too heavy a burden for him to continue the race. Others believe she is laying the foundation for a presidential bid in 2028, or looking to collect enough delegates to hold some sway at the Republican National Convention over the party’s policy vision.
As for Ms. Haley, she has been telling audiences in her stump speech that she is sticking around to fight for “my kids, and your kids” and to give voters who do not want to see a rematch between President Biden and Mr. Trump another choice.
“They don’t want someone with the drama and the vendettas and the negativity,” Ms. Haley said on CNN. “They want someone that is just going to get America normal again.”
Ms. Haley has sharpened her attacks against Mr. Trump, saying he has become “unhinged,” saying he has sided with President Vladimir Putin and saying he has been an electoral train wreck for the party.
“How many times do we have to lose before we start to say maybe Donald Trump is the problem?” she said at a recent campaign stop.
At the same time, Ms. Haley has dismissed the idea that her message is anti-Trump.
“I’m not anti-Trump,” Ms. Haley told reporters Friday. “This is about the fact that I think America is better than this. And I think that the Republican Party is better than this, and I think we can do more than this.”
Ms. Haley said her supporters “want someone new,” “something different” and “something to be hopeful about.”
Ms. Haley’s hopes of pulling off a comeback essentially evaporated in her home state of South Carolina after Mr. Trump beat her by 20 points.
Since then, Ms. Haley has been crisscrossing the country ahead of Super Tuesday. She traveled to Utah, Colorado and Minnesota, as well as North Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia — places where moderate anti-Trump Republicans and independents could give her a boost.
The Haley campaign announced late last week it had raised $12 million in February, enough money to keep chugging along.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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