‘Not Going Anywhere’: Nikki Haley Rebuffs Calls To Drop Out Despite Dismal Polling

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley hand-waved calls to jump out of the presidential race on Tuesday as former President Donald Trump continues to dominate in the polls just days ahead of her home state primary.

Haley’s campaign sent out a media advisory on Monday evening announcing that she’d deliver a “State of The Race Speech,” which prompted speculation that the former governor might drop out of the race ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday. The former governor vowed to stay in the race through her home state and beyond during her speech, and said she isn’t afraid of “Trump’s retribution.”

“We’ve all heard the calls for me to drop out. We all know where they’re coming from — the political elite, the party bosses, the cheerleaders in the commentator world,” Haley said. “The argument is familiar. They say I haven’t won a state, that my path to victory is slim. They point to the primary polls and say I’m only delaying the inevitable. Why keep fighting, when the battle was apparently over after Iowa?” (RELATED: Nikki Haley Has ‘Serious Math Problem’ Preventing Her From Winning Primary, Trump Campaign Memo Says)

“I hear what the political class says, but I hear from the American people too,” Haley added. “They know when the country’s future is on the line, you don’t drop out. You keep fighting. In fact, you fight harder than ever. That’s why I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president — I’m not going anywhere.”

Haley came in third place in the Iowa caucus, second place in the New Hampshire primary and lost to the “None of These Candidates” option in the Nevada primary, where she did not compete for delegates.

A Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Tuesday found the former president leading Haley 63% to 35% among “very likely” Republican primary voters in South Carolina. The survey indicated Trump was ahead by double digits in numerous voting blocs, while the former governor led 59% to 38% among self-identified moderates or liberals.

Trump is also leading Haley anywhere from 41 to 77 points in major Super Tuesday states like Alabama, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, according to a Morning Consult survey released Feb. 7. These states and numerous others will hold their respective nominating contests on March 5.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign sent a memo just ahead of Haley’s speech, arguing that she has a “serious math problem.” The campaign’s Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles estimated that within the next four weeks, Trump will have secured the necessary amount of bound delegates to win the GOP nomination ahead of the Republican National Committee’s convention in mid-July.

“The true ‘State’ of Nikki Haley’s campaign?,” the memo reads. “Broken down, out of ideas, out of gas, and completely outperformed by every measure, by Donald Trump.”

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