COLUMBIA, S.C. – Former President Donald Trump rolled to victory Saturday in the South Carolina Republican primary, easily defeating former Gov. Nikki Haley in her home state and moving ever close to the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
The Associated Press and television networks called the race for Trump shortly after the South Carolina polls closed at 7 p.m.
Trump, who also won convention delegate contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, is on track to win the nomination, despite the prospect of up to four criminal trials in the months ahead.
Winning the South Carolina primary is a particularly good sign for Trump. Most of the Republicans who have won the Palmetto State’s primary have gone on to win the party’s nomination, a list that includes Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump himself.
But Haley isn’t bowing out. In a speech after the results, she said she is staying in the fight.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
The next primary is Tuesday in Michigan.
Trump quickly declares victory, claims Republicans are united
Trump raced to his watch party podium shortly after the polls closed to accept victory in South Carolina.
“An even bigger win than we anticipated,” Trump said, though the final numbers won’t be clear until later in the evening.
“This is a fantastic evening,” he added. “It’s an early evening.”
Trump talked mostly about his agenda, citing immigration in particular – but he did not mention Haley by name.
Instead, he said “I have never seen the Republican Party so unified.”
He also told his supporters to prepare for future primaries, starting with Michigan on Tuesday.
Since the night of the New Hampshire primary, Trump has complained about how quickly Haley came out to tout her performance in that state.
–David Jackson
Haley vows to stay in the race
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley pledged to stay in the race, saying she worried that former President Donald Trump could not beat President Joe Biden.
“America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. This has never been about me or my political future,” Haley told a cheering crowd. “I am a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight.”
Lindsey Graham gets booed at Trump victory party
Some Trump backers in South Carolina still don’t like Sen. Lindsey Graham – even when he speaks at a Trump victory party.
Many booed Graham after Trump called the veteran senator to the podium.
Trump joked about Graham’s problems with some conservatives, saying he was “further left” than some other Republicans; but he added that “I love him; he’s a good man.”)
Graham ignored his negative reception, telling the Trump crowd that “South Carolina created the biggest political comeback in American history.”
A fierce critic of Trump during the 2016 primaries, Graham became one of his staunchest defenders during his presidency – but many Trump fans have not forgotten.
–David Jackson
Nikki Haley to address supporters Saturday night
Over at the Haley election night party in downtown Charleston, supporters of the former South Carolina governor, waved signs in support of the candidate in a half-empty ballroom as Trump was projected onto a large screen.
The campaign was airing CNN – on mute – as Trump delivered his victory speech. Instead, it played through Haley’s rally playlist as he spoke. Haley’s event was just beginning when the race was called for Trump at 7pm EDT. The candidate was not due to speak until 8pm.
— Francesca Chambers
Trump’s South Carolina surrogates predict a big night
Donald Trump’s Palmetto State surrogates aren’t exactly declaring victory – but they are getting close to doing so.
Prominent South Carolina supporters such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster are circulating among reporters at the increasingly loud Trump watch party, saying things like exit polls are looking very good for their candidate.
South Carolina officials were reluctant to criticize Haley, but said it will soon be time for the Republican Party – including their former governor – to get behind Trump.
As a crowd of Trump backers gathered in an exhibition building at the South Carolina fairgrounds, McMaster reminded a gaggle of reporters that the Republican who wins South Carolina usually wins the Republican nomination.
“The South Carolina primary is historical,” McMaster said.
–David Jackson
Nikki Haley blasts Trump for backing daughter-in-law as RNC chair
Haley criticized Trump on Saturday for endorsing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to co-lead the Republican National Committee, citing comments she has made in support of using party funds to pay of the ex-presidents mounting legal bills.
When asked about who she would nominate to run the RNC if current chair Ronna McDaniel’s steps down, as anticipated, Haley remarked “It wouldn’t be a family member of a candidate.”
Her comments come after Lara Trump earlier this week insinuated that the RNC should use its money to help pay for her fathers-in-law’s legal bills. The ex-president is four separate trials pertaining to his efforts to overturn his election loss and has more than a half-a-billion dollars in civil judgements against him.
“I would hope that the people in the RNC know that they have a responsibility – a responsibility to put in people in the RNC who are going to look out for the best interests of all of the Republican Party, not just one person,” Haley added.
–Karissa Waddick
Trump at CPAC: ‘Success will be our revenge’
A year after calling for “retribution” against political opponents, former President Donald Trump told the same conservative group he now wants a new form of “revenge.”
“Success will be our revenge,” Trump said in delivering a version of his stump speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, D.C.
It was at CPAC last year that Trump told delegates “I am your retribution” against various opponents.
In this CPAC speech, Trump also described himself as a “proud political dissident,” as he protested the 91 indictments and four criminal cases pending against him.
Earlier this week, Trump compared himself to real Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who died this month in a Russian prison.
That comparison drew ridicule from Haley, who is opposing Trump in today’s South Carolina primary.
“It’s all about him,” Haley told Fox News on Wednesday. “It’s been the problem with Donald Trump. He is obsessed with himself.”
–David Jackson
All eyes on South Carolina, but Nikki Haley to stick around at least through Super Tuesday
Results out of South Carolina’s Republican primary today hold high stakes for former U.N. ambassador and South Carolinian Nikki Haley, but regardless of results she has pledged to stick around for at least another 10 days.
Haley has pledged to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, March 5, when an avalanche of delegates will be awarded from voting across 15 states and the territory of American Samoa. Along with acting as a litmus test for Haley’s ability to round up support in her home state, South Carolina’s primary will set the stage going into Super Tuesday and provide a burst of momentum to the winning campaign. The states holding primary elections on March 5 include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
After South Carolina Feb. 24, Michigan’s primary is up next Feb. 27, before Super Tuesday the following week.
Former president Donald Trump is expected to grab the GOP nomination once again this year, after amassing big wins in previous primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
— Kathryn Palmer
Trump says Black voters relate to criminal prosecutions
Former president Donald Trump compared his legal battles to the injustices Black Americans face in the legal system at an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation Friday.
At the event, Trump suggested − inaccurately − that he is popular with African American voters. He said his 91 criminal indictments and mug shot were part of the reason.
“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 told the crowd, of which about two-thirds were Black Americans and one third were white people.
Haley blasted Trump for his comments on primary day, calling them “disgusting.”
“That’s what happens when he goes off the teleprompter,” she told reporters after casting her vote in the primary. “That’s the chaos that comes with Donald Trump.”
− David Jackson
How much support from Black voters does Trump have?
Trump suggested at an event sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation Friday that he is popular with Black voters.
But a USA TODAY Suffolk poll published on Jan. 1 showed Trump with the support of only a small sliver of Black voters – 12%.
His support among Black Americans has not increased substantially from his margins the 2020 election. In the modern presidential election era, Black voters have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates. In 2020, 87% of Black voters supported Biden, according to the Roper center.
— Sudiksha Kochi
Trump’s VP shortlist: GOP hopefuls audition for number two spot
Though Trump hasn’t yet won the Republican nomination, that hasn’t stopped political observers and his fiercest supporters from guessing who the former president could choose as his running mate.
Trump told Fox News last month that he’s not in a rush to choose someone and that his decision won’t have “any impact at all” in the 2024 election. But some Republicans have appeared to be jockeying for the spot.
At the 2024 CPAC conference, potential vice president picks including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Arizona Senate race candidate Kari Lake each took turns praising the former president.
Sen. Tim Scott, who has also been floated as a potential pick, has vigorously campaigned for the former president despite Haley appointing him to the Senate in 2012 when she was governor of South Carolina.
Trump called Scott the “greatest surrogate” he’s ever seen at a rally in South Carolina Friday.
— Sudiksha Kochi
Trump supporter at CPAC: Pardon Jan. 6 rioters
A prominent supporter of Trump warmed up the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference by calling for clemency for the rioters of Jan. 6, 2021.
“The next honest president should provide pardons and commutations for the January 6’ers,” said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch.
The attack was an unsuccessful attempt to stop the electoral vote count that elected President Joe Biden.
CPAC delegates cheered Fitton’s call. Trump has discussed the possibility of pardons for J6 rioters.
-David Jackson
Nikki Haley speaks after voting
Outside her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley told reporters she was laser focused on turning out the vote in South Carolina and Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27 and making it through a weeklong push leading into Super Tuesday.
“That’s as far as I’ve thought, in terms of going forward. We’ve placed ad buys, we’ve gone and put out the public schedule of where we’re going to be, and so we’re going to keep on going,” Haley said.
− Francesca Chambers
What did Trump say about Nikki Haley’s husband?
The primary comes two weeks after Trump’s extraordinary attack on Haley’s husband Michael.
During a rally in Conway, S.C., Trump mocked Michael Haley’s absence from the campaign trail− never mind that he is a service member who is deployed overseas.
“Where’s your husband?” Trump said at one point. “Oh, he’s away … He’s away … What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?! Where is he?! … He’s gone! He knew! He knew!”
In the days since, Haley has described Trump’s comments as “disgusting,” and an attack on all military personnel.
While South Carolina is very much a pro-military state, the Trump attack seems to have had little impact; he still holds big leads in pre-primary polls.
The same day that Trump mocked him, Michael Haley himself weighed in with a social media post. It contained a meme that read: “The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack.”
− David Jackson
Nikki Haley votes in her home polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C.
For Haley this primary contest is deeply personal. It was the state she once governed and the one she calls home.
Accompanied by her mother and surrounded by family members, Haley arrived at her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley addressed reporters outside after casting her vote and said she was blessed to be surrounded by family and to “have this moment.”
Haley is first woman of color to be a major candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Watching her mother, who was born in India, cast a ballot for her daughter for President of the United States, “tells us everything we need to know about how blessed we are to be in this country,” Haley said.
For the last four weeks, Haley has been trying to fire up her supporters and turn out general election voters who don’t typically vote in GOP primaries. Haley has committed to staying in the race regardless of Saturday’s outcome, but it will be a lot harder if she loses.
− Francesca Chambers and Megan Smith
Part of Nikki Haley’s plan for the South Carolina Republican primary: Democrats
As she tries to come back against Trump, Haley is urging South Carolina Democrats and independents to turn out for her in Saturday’s primary.
“This is an open primary,” Haley told Fox News this week. “Basically it means anybody can vote in a primary as long as you didn’t vote in the Democrat primary on February 3rd in South Carolina.”
Trump has mocked the notion, saying Democrats shouldn’t be allowed in Republican primaries, especially in a conservative state like South Carolina.
Democratic leaders have also discouraged party members from helping Haley.
Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison, a South Carolinian, told reporters this month that Haley did nothing for Democrats during her years as governor.
Said Harrison to Haley: “You didn’t do anything for us, so we aren’t gonna bail you out.”
But as of Saturday, some voters might not be listening to the Democratic Party’s marching orders.
Hannah James, 18, of Travelers Rest, at the City Hall precinct, said she was a left-leaning Democrat who voted for Haley.
“I decided that if it came down to having a Republican president, I’d rather have Haley over Trump,” James said.
− David Jackson and Terry Benjamin
Donald Trump Jr. – and senior – go after Mitch McConnell in South Carolina
Trump and his surrogates − including Donald Trump, Jr. − have spent most of the South Carolina campaign talking about issues beyond the primary, including their dispute with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
During an appearance in North Charleston, S.C., the younger Trump mocked McConnell’s health issues, describing the Trump antagonist as “Mitch the Glitch,” and referring to his near-catatonic episodes.
“Can we find someone who doesn’t freeze up?” Trump Jr. said. “It’s like Windows 92. Buffering, buffering, buffering.”
His attack followed a comment Donald Trump Sr. made this week about his compatibility with McConnell.
“I don’t know that I can work with him,” Trump said Tuesday during a Fox News town hall.
McConnell, meanwhile, has said little about Trump’s re-emergence as the party’s presidential nominee.
− David Jackson
Will voters choose Nikki Haley or Donald Trump?
Jorge Lara, 43, of Greer, S.C. was one of the first people in line to vote at 7:30 a.m. at Riverside High School and chose Haley as his candidate.
Lara, who originally grew up in Cuba, said it was his first time voting in any primary and will vote against Trump. He believes “our democracy may be in danger.”
“I come from a country where it was a dictatorship,” Lara said. “I see Trump’s leanings and cozying up to dictatorships and kind of accepting the Russian behavior, betraying our allies. This is very important for me. Today’s not so much about a vote for Nikki Haley, or for any particular politician, it is a vote against Trump.”
Klay Peterson, 72, of Roebuck, S.C. said he was voting for Trump because of his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The border is number one. Having been in law enforcement for over 40 years, I’m concerned with safety and crime in our country,” Peterson said. “We don’t know what their intentions are and I’m worried we’ll have to pay that price.”
− Terry Benjamin and Joanna Johnson, Greenville News
The stakes for Haley in South Carolina: Survival
Unless the polls in South Carolina are very wrong, Trump will defeat Haley in her home state − a very unusual occurrence for candidates that make it to the top of the ticket.
In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee.
Back in 2016, as Republican candidates chased the front-running Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich both won their home state primaries.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, however, lost his home state primary to Trump, and quickly withdrew from the race.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, says she is staying in the race regardless of what happens Saturday – but it will be a lot harder if she loses.
− David Jackson and AP
Trump returns to CPAC a year after threatening ‘retribution’
Although it’s primary day in South Carolina, Donald Trump travels to the Washington, D.C., area on Saturday for a reprise of one of his most infamous speeches.
It was at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year that Trump vowed “retribution” against his political opponents, and urged his voters to join him.
“In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice,” Trump told CPAC delegates a year ago. “Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
This year’s CPAC speech is scheduled for the early afternoon at National Harbor, Md.
Trump then heads to Columbia, S.C., for a primary watch party on Saturday night.
− David Jackson
When do polls close in South Carolina?
Polls for South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary will close at 7 p.m. ET.
The state also allowed early voting for the election. Registered voters were eligible to submit an early ballot by Thursday, Feb. 22. Absentee ballots must have been submitted and received by the county voter registration office by Feb. 3.
The state has an open primary, which allows registered voters of any party – Republicans, Democrats or independents – to participate in the Republican contest. Anyone who participated in the state’s Democratic presidential primary, however, are barred from also voting in the GOP election.
− Karissa Waddick
Is Joe Biden competing in South Carolina?
President Joe Biden competed in the South Carolina Democratic primary, which took place on Saturday, Feb. 3. Biden won with roughly 92% of the vote in a landslide victory over his longshot challengers, self-help author Marianne Williamson and House Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Williamson and Phillips each received about 2% support.
The next major Democratic primary takes place in Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 27. It is on the same day as the Michigan Republican primary.
− Karissa Waddick
Where do Nikki Haley, Donald Trump stand in Republican polls?
Trump has notched victories in every major nominating contest so far and is leading in most state and national polls. A RealClearPolitics average of South Carolina polls shows the former president ahead of Haley in the state 62% – 37%, a margin of roughly 25 points.
Haley has said that she needs to perform better in her home state than she did in New Hampshire, where she garnered 43% of the vote.
“I don’t think it necessarily has to be a win, but it certainly has to be better than what I did in New Hampshire, and it certainly has to be close,” Haley said of her South Carolina prospects during an interview with NBC.
Haley has pledged to remain in the GOP primary race until March 5, the date known as Super Tuesday when voters in more than a dozen states head to the polls.
− Karissa Waddick
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