South Carolina primary 2024: Trump projected to win, Haley vows to stay in the race
What can we take away from Trump's big Palmetto State victory?
Former President Donald Trump has won the South Carolina Republican primary, ABC News projects. It was a swift and embarrassing defeat for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who rose to political prominence as South Carolina’s governor. Nevertheless, in her concession speech, Haley vowed to continue her campaign into Super Tuesday on March 5.
Throughout the evening, 538 reporters, analysts and contributors broke down the results as they came in with live updates, analysis and commentary. Read our full live blog below.
Latest headlines:
South Carolina GOP primary voters strongly support sending National Guard troops to the border
If voters are focused on immigration, as the preliminary exit polling shows, that almost certainly plays to Trump’s strengths. In a February poll from The Citadel School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 85 percent of likely GOP primary voters in South Carolina said that they supported the use of state funds under Gov. Henry McMaster’s order to deploy South Carolina National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border last year, while just 11 percent opposed the decision. Among South Carolina voters overall, 57 percent supported the decision, while 35 percent opposed it. This echoes Trump’s position on the issue.
—Mary Radcliffe, 538
Haley’s complicated relationship with the 1st Congressional District
I’m reminded that in 2022, Haley stuck her neck out for 1st District Rep. Nancy Mace when Mace faced a Trump-endorsed challenger in the GOP primary. Haley even cut an ad for Mace who went on to defeat her opponent by just 8 points. Mace returned the favor by endorsing Trump over Haley in this year’s primary.
—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections
South Carolina voters prefer Trump over Haley on key issues
As they cast their ballots for the former president, many Palmetto State voters had immigration and economy on the brain, according to preliminary results from ABC News exit polling. A staggering 71 percent said they trusted Trump more on border security, compared to 27 percent who said they trusted Haley more, and by 69 percent said they trusted Trump more on the economy. They were unconvinced by Haley’s recent pivot to frame Trump as old and incompetent — 71 percent of voters said Trump had both the physical and mental health necessary to be president, while only 59 percent said Haley did.
As Geoffrey wrote earlier this week, the state’s electorate is part of what gave Trump such a sharp edge tonight, and the preliminary exit polling demonstrates it: 61 percent of Republican voters in the exit polling identified themselves as evangelical white Christians, and of them, Trump won 75 percent of the vote.
—Kaleigh Rogers, 538
Congressional district data suggests Haley will win zero delegates
Update on the delegate watch: At about 24 percent reporting statewide, ABC News projects Trump has won 38 delegates out of 50 so far. That includes 29 delegates for winning the state popular vote and 9 for winning 3 congressional districts. There are 12 delegates from 4 districts where ABC News has yet to make projections — but Trump currently leads every CD by at least 10 points! But in the district that would be most favorable to Haley, CD-01, home to Charleston, we have few votes. So she could end up getting 3 delegates tonight ... in her home state.
—G. Elliott Morris, 538
South Carolina primary voters see both candidates as part of the establishment
Majorities of likely South Carolina GOP primary voters said they thought both Trump and Haley are part of the Republican establishment, according to an early February poll from YouGov/CBS News. Seventy-five percent of likely primary voters in the state said Haley is part of the establishment, and 58 percent said the same about Trump. That's not necessarily negative for voters though; in the same survey, 42 percent of likely primary voters said that they thought of the term "Republican establishment" as positive, 33 percent said it was negative, and 25 percent said it was neither positive nor negative.
—Mary Radcliffe, 538