South Carolina – Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley might be the only one left to challenge former President Donald Trump directly. This comes after Vivek Ramaswamy quit the presidential race post-Iowa caucuses, and more and more people are saying Ron DeSantis should also withdraw. DeSantis’s campaign isn’t making much headway in gaining strong support, unlike Haley.
South Carolina’s Nikky Haley’s popularity has surged recently, as shown by multiple polls. This is also the case in New Hampshire where she is “only” 16 points behind Trump.
Prominent Republicans continuously call for both Haley and DeSantis to give up their campaigns and back Trump instead. Trump is significantly leading both of them. For example, Rep. Elise Stefanik from New York asked Trump’s competitors this Monday to quit the race and support him. She believes no one can beat Trump and that uniting behind him could help defeat President Biden in 2024.
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“I am calling on every other candidate — all of whom have no chance to win — to drop out so we can unify and immediately rally behind President Trump,” she said Monday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Trump dominated Iowa, DeSantis second with 21% of the votes
This viewpoint emerged after Trump dominated Iowa, securing about 51% of the votes in the initial 2024 election primary. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received 21% of the votes, while Nikki Haley, the former U.N. Ambassador, got 19%.
On Tuesday night, Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham gave a similar opinion, specifically to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Ingraham suggested that DeSantis and Haley should end their campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. It’s particularly noteworthy that Ingraham, who has often invited DeSantis on her show “The Ingraham Angle,” is now advising him to quit. Meanwhile, she has been openly critical of Haley.
“Now, let’s start with DeSantis,” Ingraham began. “He out-performed last night. He beat Nikki Haley’s war chest, so he has a lot to be proud of. As a candidate on the trail, he worked his butt off. And people forget how young he is. So, with what – three more years as Florida’s governor? He can build an even greater track record of success in that very important state. So, a future in the Republican Party for him could be really bright.”
The host added that Trump is simply “too powerful” to be overtaken in the race.
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“But he’s simply not gonna be president this time around,” she continued. “I know it’s hard to hear. You worked really hard for it. It’s not happening. Trump is simply too powerful and has endured too much. Voters aren’t gonna turn their backs on him at this point. And every day that Ron DeSantis stays on the campaign trail criticizing Trump is a day that hurts Ron DeSantis’ political future. He doesn’t gain anything from it. That’s for sure. And Trump, he’s not hurt by it at all. So it’s time to step aside and endorse Trump.”