* This post has been updated since publication to reflect final vote percentages
Former President Donald Trump has been declared the winner of Saturday night’s presidential primary election in South Carolina, notching another win against Nikki Haley, the state’s former governor.
When polls closed at 7 pm, the Associated Press reported a “heavily lopsided contest,” prompting media outlets to call the primary in Trump’s favor even before final percentages were known. With 99 percent of the ballots counted as of Sunday morning, Trump led 59.8 percent to Haley’s 39.5 percent.
Trump’s victory in South Carolina—the fourth primary to go decidedly to the former president—also comes as a deeper symbolic victory over Haley, who had once hoped for a home-field advantage when her state’s election arrived. Given early polls in the state, this hope was largely unfounded, but Haley persisted nevertheless.
In the week before the primary, Haley called a press conference in which she doubled down on her presidential ambitions, pledging to stay in the race until after Super Tuesday next month.
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Like New Hampshire, which held its primary in January, South Carolina offers an open primary, allowing voters to participate in either the Republican or Democrat elections regardless of party affiliation. In the New Hampshire election, Haley was carried largely by Democrats who crossed party lines to support her as the alternative to Trump. It remains to be seen if similar results played out in her home state.
The next primary election will be held in Michigan on Tuesday, February 27th.
Stay tuned to VT for additional updates.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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