CHARLESTON: Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley vowed to fight on Saturday after an emphatic primary defeat to Donald Trump in her home state, underlining the steep climb she faces to capture the Republican presidential nomination.
"I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run... I'm a woman of my word. I'm not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden," she said.
Donald Trump's victory has further consolidated his path to a third straight GOP nomination.
Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, adding to previous wins in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the Virgin Islands. The former president's latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump's former representative to the UN and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race.
A 2020 general rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly inevitable.
Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump's momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner as polls closed statewide at 7 pm.
(With AP, AFP inputs)