- Nikki Haley’s the only remaining major candidate running against Trump for the GOP’s nomination.
- As the electoral calendar continues on, her likelihood of winning the nomination keeps declining.
- If she dropped out earlier, she’d have a shot at becoming Trump’s running mate, but not anymore.
Republican presidential candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has been campaigning officially for a seat in the Oval Office for over a year, leaving her as the sole remaining candidate running against former President Donald Trump for the GOP’s nomination.
Trump’s taken first place in each of the first four primaries and caucuses of the 2024 calendar, amassing 63 delegates along the way compared to Haley’s 17.
If the former president can continue down his established path of dominant primary performances in South Carolina on Saturday and on Super Tuesday in early March, he could win the majority of delegates — becoming the GOP’s presumptive nominee — by mid-March. Haley still has a shot at winning the nomination, but if local polling holds up in the aforementioned races, it appears her chances are rapidly dwindling.
If she’s unable to secure the party’s nomination, Haley could pivot to supporting Trump on the campaign trail just as several of her former rivals for the nomination did, like Sen. Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump noted on Tuesday that Scott and Ramaswamy are both on his shortlist to possibly become his 2024 running mate, likely in part due to their glowing endorsements.
It’s also, notably, been 3 months since Scott dropped out of the running and more than a month since Ramaswamy did the same, giving them ample time to get back in Trump’s good graces. Additionally, neither candidate ever really sharply criticized Trump while they were running.
Haley, on the other hand, has repeatedly taken shots at her 77-year-old rival for his age, mental acuity, and policy choices. The longer she stays in the race and continues bashing her former boss, her chances of getting tapped to become his possible vice president could dwindle.
Avid Trump supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham predicted something similar in January, noting, “I think he would pick her if he thought it would help him win. But the longer it goes and the more scar tissue accumulates, the less likely it is.”
Haley’s repeatedly said over the last few months of her campaign that she has no desire to be anyone’s running mate, saying it’s “off the table.”
But if she receives an offer to possibly become the nation’s second-in-command after losing the nomination, it’d be tough for most in her position to decline.
