Nikki Haley’s team has given its strongest indication yet that the former ambassador plans to stay in the race for the Republican nomination through Super Tuesday by announcing a seven-figure ad-buy in various states.
“We know that the math is challenging, but this has never just been about who can win a Republican primary,” Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney said Friday on a call with reporters, according to NPR. “This battle is about who can win in November, defeat the Democrats and finally get our country back on track.”
Former President Donald Trump continues to lead as voters head to the polls in Haley’s home state of South Carolina, with Haley trying to prove her viability with a competitive finish. Polling ahead of the primary indicated Trump has commanding double-digit lead.
Haley made clear in the days ahead of the primary that she planned to stay in no matter the outcome of Saturday’s primary, saying she would “refuse to quit” and that “on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere.”
NIKKI HALEY SAYS NO CHANCE OF BEING TRUMP VP, SAYS SHE ‘WOULD’VE GOTTEN OUT ALREADY’
Republican presidential candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley holds a town hall meeting. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In a separate interview this week with NPR, Haley once again raised her concerns about Trump as president, arguing that Trump brought “chaos” and “division.” She made clear that she has “even more concerns about Joe Biden being president.”
Her fight has brought her significant financial backing, with her campaign managing to pull around 5,200 donors who had backed President Biden in the 2020 election, including over 1,600 donors who gave more than $500,000 to Biden, according to Politico.
HALEY COURTS INDEPENDENTS, DEMOCRATS AS SHE AIMS TO AVOID A BLOWOUT TO TRUMP ON HER HOME TURF
Former President Donald Trump speaks at an NRA rally in 2022. (Associated Press/Michael Wyke)
Haley’s campaign highlighted the “large dollar” donations of $200 or more from over 55,000 individuals in January alone as proof of her backing. She also siphoned more than 10,000 donors who had supported Trump in 2020.
Haley’s refusal to back down has infuriated the Trump campaign: A memo from the campaign argued that Haley would face an “a—kicking in the making in South Carolina” and predicted “the end is near” for her campaign.
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to former President Donald Trump and RNC co-chair candidate. (Fox News Digital)
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to former President Trump, blasted Haley in an interview with Fox News Digital for staying in despite “obvious” proof that Haley has “no path.”
“Why stay in the race? Why fight against the Republican nominee, the person who is leading the party?” Lara Trump said. She also suggested that Haley might bank on Trump’s legal struggles to hinder his ability to run.
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“I will say that any person who is not standing up and fighting back in the face of that, calling it out for exactly what it is – election interference – should not be running for President of the United States,” Lara Trump said.
Nikki Haley’s campaign team did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by time of publication.
Fox News Digital Remy Numa and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.