Moreover, polls show that she is the only Republican candidate who can easily beat President Joe Biden in a head-to-head contest.
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She added: “With Donald Trump, Republicans lost almost every competitive election,” declaring that the race is not over yet.
We lost the Senate. We lost the house. We lost the White House. We lost in 2018. We lost in 2020 and we lost in 2022. You cannot fix the mess if you do not win the elections.”
It was a strong argument, but it ultimately failed to win enough votes, leaving Haley in a weak position and under pressure to withdraw from the contest to clear the way for Trump's third GOP nomination.
Part of the reason is arguably the fact that Haley has not done enough to convince more “undeclared” swing voters, who make up more than 40 percent of voters in New Hampshire, to rally behind her.
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While she has intensified her attacks in recent days, she has spent much of the campaign offering lukewarm criticism of Trump, for fear of angering his loyal base.
This began with the first Republican debate in Milwaukee last August, when the candidates were asked a key question: If Donald Trump were the party's nominee for president and a convicted felon, would you still support him? Haley raised her hand almost immediately.
Even one of her supporters, Fergus Cullen, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, acknowledged that she could have done more to inspire and engage unaffiliated voters.
“In politics, sometimes you are judged by your friends, but sometimes you need to make the right enemies too,” he said.
All eyes are now on the next round of Republican primaries in South Carolina, where Haley has been a two-term governor.
She insists she is ready to fight, but opinion polls already put her behind Trump. Continuing, if there is no clear path to victory, will ultimately cost her her term, both financially and politically.
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