Nikki Haley Vows to Stay Competitive in Republican Presidential Race Ahead of Super Tuesday

With only a few days remaining before the Super Tuesday presidential primaries, Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and Republican candidate, expressed her commitment to continue competing for the GOP nomination. In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Haley emphasized that she will persevere as long as she remains competitive, declining to look "too far ahead" when questioned about a potential withdrawal from the race in the event of a loss to frontrunner and former president Donald Trump on Super Tuesday. "As long as we are competitive, as long as we are showing that there is a place for us, I'm going to continue to fight," Haley affirmed.

Delegates and Primaries

Despite suffering losses in the primaries of Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, Haley currently trails Trump in delegates, holding 27 compared to his 247. She highlighted, however, that these initial primaries only partially reflect the preferences of the American electorate, considering that fifteen states and one territory are set to cast their votes on Tuesday. "You've only had three or four states that have voted up until now," Haley pointed out. "We're a big country and we want everybody to feel like they had the opportunity to vote for someone and not against someone."

Endorsements and Support

Haley has garnered support from Republican senators critical of Trump, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who endorsed her as her state prepares for the upcoming primaries.

Commitment and Decision-making

When confronted with the prospect of endorsing a Trump nomination, Haley refrained from unequivocally affirming whether she remains bound by a Republican National Committee pledge to support the GOP nominee. "No, I think I'll make what decision I want to make, but that's not something I'm thinking about," Haley stated. She added that the pledge had been made "in order to get on the debate stage" at the time.