The results of the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday ended the way that most suspected, with former President Donald Trump beating former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) by over 35,000 votes. Though she lost, Haley refused to admit defeat, giving a speech that confused many.
The former U.N. ambassador lost the primary by 11 points. Among independents, she won six out of 10 but lost three-quarters of Republicans. Instead of saying she lost, Haley gave a speech that would make listeners think she had won.
As her supporters cheered, she thanked various people and proclaimed it a “great night.”
“New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go,” Haley said after Trump was declared the winner.
The New Hampshire primary had a record turnout, with the most votes cast for either party in the state’s history.
When discussing her campaign, Haley pointed out that her numbers are improving.
“Today, we got close to half of the vote. We still have a ways to go, but we keep moving up,” she said.
Many commentators chimed in to comment on the dynamics of Haley’s speech. Jack Posobiec spoke to Charlie Kirk and called out the timing of her speech, in how she made it sound like it was a close race.
Jack Posobiec on the timing of Nikki Haley's concession speech:
"She timed this so that … she would make that statement when the race was as tight as possible."
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 24, 2024
Per his usual demeanor, Trump took the stage to joke about Haley’s speech and called her out for doing the same thing during the Iowa primary.
JUST IN: Trump blasts Nikki Haley, says, “She’s doing a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost.” WATCH pic.twitter.com/ZTPhvTJHUW
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 24, 2024
Trump also pointed out that while she mentioned that her numbers are improving, she has not been able to beat President Joe Biden in the polls.
TRUMP: “We’ve won almost every single poll in the last three months against crooked Joe Biden, and she doesn’t win those polls. She had a very bad night!” pic.twitter.com/HokOI3O9PO
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 24, 2024
On Tuesday, Haley’s campaign released a memo emphasizing that “we aren’t going anywhere,” pointing to the next election in South Carolina.
While she did not do well in the New Hampshire primary, Haley expressed confidence in winning her home state of South Carolina.
“Every time I’ve run for office in South Carolina, I’ve beaten the political establishment,” she said. “They’re lined up against me again. That’s no surprise. But South Carolina voters don’t want a coronation. They want an election.”
South Carolina’s primary will be held on Feb. 24.
