Haley 'Not Going Anywhere' After Nevada Embarrassment

'I'm in this for the long haul. And this is going to be messy'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 8, 2024 4:57 AM CST
Haley Vows to Stay in Race After Nevada Defeat
Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Nikki Haley is staying in the race for the GOP nomination despite the embarrassment of coming second to the "none of these candidates" option in Nevada's primary this week. At a campaign event in California, Haley told supporters that she planned to fight on and did not mention the Nevada result, reports Reuters. Haley received just 31% of the vote in the largely symbolic contest on Tuesday, less than half the 63% that went to "none of these candidates." Former President Trump's campaign focused on Thursday's caucuses instead of the primary. Trump is the only major candidate competing in the caucuses and he is expected to win all 26 delegates.

"I'm not going anywhere," Haley said. "I'm in this for the long haul. And this is going to be messy. And this is going to hurt, and it's going to leave some bruises." Haley did not campaign in Nevada. "Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots, the house wins. We didn't bother to play a game rigged for Trump," campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said, per the BBC, adding: "We're full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond." South Carolina, Haley's home state, will hold its GOP primary on Feb. 24.

The Trump campaign mocked Haley's loss, with spokesman Steven Cheung calling it a "humiliating, embarrassing, and utterly overwhelming defeat," the BBC reports. "A bad night for Nikki Haley," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Watch, she'll soon claim Victory!" Reuters notes that according to the Nevada secretary of state's office, Haley technically won the Tuesday primary because only votes for named candidates count toward the result. (More Nikki Haley 2024 stories.)

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