Nikki Haley Supporters in South Carolina Hold Out Hope

The former United Nations ambassador needs buy-in from her state’s pro-Trump Republican electorate.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Feb. 1, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

HILTON HEAD, S.C.—Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley sounded defiant before a room of supporters in Hilton Head on Feb. 1.

Former President Donald Trump had secured the endorsement of many top Republican politicians in the state while still on the trail in New Hampshire.

Yet, in front of the enthusiastic crowd in a coastal snowbird magnet, and after security escorted out a man who had shouted something about Ukraine funding, she dismissed the snub, positioning herself as a voice against South Carolina’s “political elite.”