Washington, Mar. 7, (dpa/GNA) – Nikki Haley announced on Wednesday that she is dropping out of the Republican nomination contest for November’s presidential election, clearing the way for a renewed bid by Donald Trump.
But Haley, 52, did not endorse Trump in her remarks surrounding her announcement that she is withdrawing from the race.
She said it is now up to the former president to “earn the votes” of Republicans who did not support him.
Trump will now almost certainly face US President Joe Biden in November in a rematch of the 2020 election that Biden won.
Biden, in a statement following Haley’s announcement, appealed to her voters, saying Trump does not want them.
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.”
Biden admitted he differs with some Haley voters, but said he hopes and believes he and these voters “can find common ground” on key issues like preserving American democracy, “preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries.”
Haley’s decision came one day after she lost nearly every Republican primary contest in the more than one dozen races on Tuesday in the so-called Super Tuesday elections.
She did win Vermont, a small north-eastern state, but voters there traditionally vote Democratic in the general presidential election.
Many US voters were hoping for a different choice than the 2020 rematch between the two elderly politicians. Current polls have them neck and neck, with Trump posting a slight edge in some.
But US election observers note that there are many months before the November vote and a lot can happen between now and then.
GNA