Nikki Haley ends White House bid, clears the decks for Biden vs Trump rematch

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley plans to end her presidential campaign on Wednesday, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with her plans.

According to the report, Haley is expected to make an appearance to deliver brief remarks around 10 am ET. Her decision arrived the day after Super Tuesday, when she won only Vermont among 15 states that held GOP contests.

Nikki’s decision will ensure that Donald Trump will win the Republican nomination and once again face Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s election.

She will not announce an endorsement Wednesday, the Journal added, but will encourage Donald Trump to earn the support of Republican and independent voters who backed her.

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On Tuesday, Haley upset Trump in Vermont, securing her second victory of the presidential primary on a night when the frontrunner otherwise barreled toward his party’s nomination.

Her only other primary victory came last weekend in the District of Columbia, which like Vermont, reliably supports Democrats in presidential elections.

As of early Wednesday, Trump had secured at least 635 delegates from Super Tuesday states, bringing his total count to over 750. To secure the Republican nomination, Trump needs a minimum of 1,215 delegates.

Haley’s defeat marks a painful, if predictable, blow to those voters, donors and Republican Party officials who opposed Trump and his fiery brand of “Make America Great Again” politics.

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She was especially popular among moderates and college-educated voters, constituencies that will likely play a pivotal role in the general election. It’s unclear whether Trump, who recently declared that Haley donors would be permanently banned from his movement, can ultimately unify a deeply divided party.

Haley leaves the 2024 presidential contest having made history as the first woman to win a Republican primary in Columbia and Vermont.

She had insisted she would stay in the race through Super Tuesday and crossed the country campaigning in states holding Republican contests. Ultimately, she was unable to knock Trump off his glide path to a third straight nomination.

With inputs from agencies