Donald Trump beats Nikki Haley in SC Republican primary

South Carolina, a state known for its conservative political climate, confirmed that Republican voters favor of a second term for former President Donald Trump.

“I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now,” Trump noted at a Columbia watch party after winning 59% of votes. Earlier in the evening he said, “It was an even bigger win than we anticipated.”

Trump credited his win to Black voters, claiming that his legal troubles bolster his notoriety by making him “relatable.”

"A lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against," he said at a gathering sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation.

Trump’s declarations differ from his stances in the late 1970s when his family’s company was found to discriminate against Black tenants by the U.S. Justice Department and bought a full-page advertisement demanding the death penalty for the Central Park 5, a group of Black and Latino teenagers falsely accused of raping a white woman in New York City.  

Trump’s victory in South Carolina came as a harsh rebuke to former Gov. Nikki Haley who spent more than $15 million in advertising alone. Despite only garnering 39% of the vote, she refuses to quit.

"I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden," Haley said. "Today, in South Carolina, we’re getting around 40% of the vote. That’s about what we got in New Hampshire too. I’m an accountant. I know 40% is not 50% But I also know 40% is not some tiny group.”

However, Haley’s former constituents aren’t impressed.

“Nikki Haley claims that as president, she would usher in a ‘new generation of conservative leadership.’ What Haley fails to realize is that she is nothing more than the last gasp of a bygone era of globalism that we, as young conservatives, wholeheartedly reject,” Trevor Tiedeman, Clemson University College Republican chair said in a statement, citing cuts to the state’s budget, passage of the gas tax and immigration resettlement.

Other members of Gen Z agreed stating Hailey’s fluctuating stances and other misrepresentations make them unlikely to support her.

“Nikki Haley is representative of barriers that have tried to discredit and hinder those efforts. Nikki is not a moderate candidate compared to Donald Trump; to me, they are one in the same,” shared Lauryn McCloud, a native of Charleston. “Nikki Haley is on record for various contradictions she has made not only along the campaign trail but during her time representing South Carolina.

“The dichotomy of this election represents a systemic issue plaguing our political landscape,” she continued. “The political climate that has been spreading through our society is a result of education restrictions, and the gap between employment opportunities and healthcare. In a country where boundless opportunities await and education is fundamental, it’s disheartening to witness our presidential candidates distilled between a career politician and a failed businessman. The very essence of our Democratic process seems compromised when our choices are framed as a selection between the lesser of two perceived evils.”

As losses pile up, Haley vows to continue.

“In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak,” she said. “They have the right to a real choice. Not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate.”

This article corrects the spelling of Nikki Haley's name in a paragraph.

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