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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s exit from the Republican presidential primary on Wednesday marked the start of a historic rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Biden.
Ms. Haley hastened Mr. Trump’s path to a third Republican presidential nomination less than a day after her crushing defeat in the Super Tuesday primaries.
Her departure from the race locks the current and former president in an epic battle for the White House that will steer the nation’s direction on the economy, foreign policy, energy, border security and other critical issues.
Shortly after Ms. Haley’s announcement, one of Mr. Biden’s Democratic opponents, Rep. Dean Phillips, dropped his long-shot bid and endorsed the president. He failed to win a single delegate. Democrat Marianne Williamson remains in the race but is not considered a threat to Mr. Biden’s path to the nomination.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have eight months to battle for general election voters. They must work to unite voters in their parties while vying for the nation’s growing faction of independents.
Ms. Haley, who campaigned as a next-generation conservative for voters seeking an alternative to a Trump-Biden rematch, did not endorse the former president in her exit speech.
After criticizing Mr. Trump for months on the campaign trail as a chaotic candidate who alienated Republican and independent voters, Ms. Haley called on him to “earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him” and said, “Our conservative cause badly needs more people.”
Ms. Haley won 43% of the vote in her second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary and racked up double-digit support in South Carolina, her home state, but lost to Mr. Trump. In the District of Columbia and Vermont contests, she became the first Republican woman to win a presidential primary. Exit polls showed many of those who voted for Ms. Haley will not support Mr. Trump on the ballot in November.
Mr. Trump, 77, thumped his chest Wednesday over his Super Tuesday wins. He told supporters on social media that Ms. Haley was “TROUNCED in record-setting fashion.” His campaign team called the primary “a hard-fought race” and urged the party to “unite and defeat Joe Biden.”
Mr. Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the former president is “tenacious and focused on fixing the crises created by Joe Biden’s policies.”
Mr. Biden, 81, destined to be renominated by the Democratic Party despite doubts about his age and ability to serve another term, sought Wednesday to exploit the enduring internal party division over Mr. Trump. He said in a statement after Ms. Haley’s announcement that “there is a place” for Haley voters in his campaign.
Mr. Biden’s Super Tuesday results showed warning signs for his general election bid.
In several states, many voters refused to vote for Mr. Biden and picked a long-shot Democrat, “no preference” or “uncommitted.”
In Minnesota, nearly 20% of Democratic primary voters chose “uncommitted,” reflecting anger from the base over his support of Israel’s war with the terrorist organization Hamas. In North Carolina, 13% of voters in the Democratic primary chose “no preference,” while 8% of Democratic voters in Virginia picked Ms. Williamson.
Mr. Biden became the first sitting president in 44 years to lose a primary when entrepreneur and investor Jason Palmer defeated him in American Samoa, a territory with a history of picking long shots.
Weeks of polling have shown Mr. Biden with a sinking approval rating on key voter issues, particularly the chaotic southern border that has been overrun with illegal immigrants, mostly because of policies the Biden administration has refused to reverse.
Poll numbers show Mr. Trump with a consistent lead that, if it holds through the election, would put him back in the White House.
In 2020, the presidential election was decided on Mr. Biden’s narrow wins in a half-dozen swing states: Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin and Nevada.
Polls now show Mr. Trump leading in all of those states, and his campaign team said he will work to put Democratic-leaning states in play for Republicans, although it has not indicated where. At least one poll found 10% of 2020 Biden voters flipping their support to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden did not address supporters Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, he froze up for about 15 seconds while reporters shouted questions at him after a photo-op.
Mr. Biden’s White House team won’t pledge that the president will meet Mr. Trump on stage for a presidential debate, an uninterrupted tradition since 1948.
Mr. Trump posted on social media that he is ready to rumble with Mr. Biden, even if the Democratic National Committee runs the debates.
“It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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