Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's campaign is on life support heading into the primary in her home state, Reuters reported. Despite her dismal chances against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential hopeful continues to hang on.
The Palmetto State will hold its primary on Feb. 24. Heading into the election, Haley, 52, trails Trump by nearly 30 points after this week's humiliating loss to the choice of "none of these candidates" in Nevada.
Unable to take the hint, Haley continues to push on even as the Republican Party coalesces around Trump. An anonymous aide for the former envoy to the U.N. described the atmosphere as having "F-16 fighter jets were circling overhead."
With virtually no chance of winning against Trump, Haley bafflingly continues to press on. Rob Godfrey, who served as an aide during her tenure as governor, chalks it up to Haley's dream of a dramatic comeback.
"Ultimately, this was going to be a race that was going to pit her against Donald Trump. I think she's comfortable in that role as an underdog, even if the political class lined up against her," Godfrey said.
It's more than just the political class that is aligned against her. The lack of support at the ballot box should prove that very few people want her around, and even former allies Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) endorsed Trump over her.
In a stroke of tone-deafness, Haley has decided the best strategy is hitting her opponent hard using the same criticisms as the left. She ridiculed Trump for spending his campaign money on legal fees as he defended himself against an onslaught of phony charges from the left.
Haley has also said Trump is a "chicken" because he won't debate her even as she is lightyears behind him in the polls. She also has taken swipes at him for his age and called him the "king of hypocrisy."
However, her worst tactic has been to hit him over his supposed outsider status even as she's known as a swamp-dwelling Washington, D.C., bottomfeeder herself. "All those congressional members around him are the same ones that haven't done anything for us," Haley said during a campaign event in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
"Trump can have 'em," she added. For his part, Trump has said Haley is a "bird-brain," and perhaps her continued presence in the race makes that case quite well.
Haley insists she's in it "for the long haul" even as Trump achieves an insurmountable lead and all of the momentum. Her campaign is still eyeing states like Washington, Utah, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Alaska, which won't hold their primaries until March.
"Just know, I'm not going anywhere. I'm in this for the long haul," Haley said as recently as Wednesday during her campaign event.
"And this is going to be messy. And this is going to hurt, and it's going to leave some bruises," she added.
There's no good reason to continue with this campaign with so little hope for victory. Trump is untouchable in his staying power and popularity, and it would be all but impossible for her to pull off an upset win against him.
