South Carolina primary 2024: Trump projected to win, Haley vows to stay in the race

Look, Haley is going to lose out to Trump for the Republican nomination. That's been apparent really before we even had votes to count, although it was right to see what actual voters would do in the early contests. But if Haley wants to risk what remains of her political career pushing back against Trump and what he means to the party she's dedicated her political life to, we shouldn't rule out that having longer-term practical implications and influence on voters. Acquiescing to Trump has been a pretty regular thing among Republicans since the 2016 election, but carrying a torch for an alternate vision is something Haley may be inclined to do, to hell with the consequences. Granted, the realities of continuing a campaign with less and less money coming in could end this race pretty soon, but we'll just have to see what she decides to do.

—Geoffrey Skelley, 538

To Jacob's point, the "go ahead and underestimate me" phrase is a very clearly gendered one. And Trump's reputation on this issue hasn't gotten as much attention as it did in 2016, but it's not clear that some of the issues have gone away. Plus, Haley may also be highlighting the fact that, as far as she is from being a real contender for the nomination, this is the closest any GOP woman has come.

—Julia Azari, 538 contributor

People forget this, but McMaster was the first statewide elected official to endorse Trump back in 2016. Haley’s appointment to U.N. ambassador cleared the way for him to become governor, a post he still holds today.

—Nathaniel Rakich, 538

Nathaniel, I think that another explanation for Haley’s continued presence in the race is less political and more personal. Clearly, the two candidates don’t get along, and never really have. (Remember that the only reason Trump even tapped Haley as ambassador was as a favor to then-Lt. Gov. McMaster.) With the race getting increasingly chippy and personal, I think Haley may be staying in for longer than politically savvy because she knows just how much it gets under Trump’s skin. This is, after all, a politician who sells shirts that say "Go ahead and underestimate me, that’ll be fun."

—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections