Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign stop in Sumter, South Carolina, on February 19. Photo: JULIA NICKHINSON/AFP
Zombie Nikki Haley Campaign won more than 20 percent of the vote in the Indiana Republican primary, a warning sign for Donald Trump.
Even though Haley dropped out of the race in March, after being crushed by Trump, Haley won 128,000 votes to the former president's 462,000 in the state. Ballots cast for candidates who have dropped out of the race are often called zombie votes.
Mr. Trump has been the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for months and has carried lands in Indiana counties, but he has been edged out in some. to less than two-thirds of the vote.
His worst performance was in Marion County, home to the state capital of Indianapolis, where he won 65 percent to Ms. Haley's 35 percent. Trump's lead also was softer in neighboring Hamilton, Allen and Hendricks counties.
The former president has been the clear favorite throughout the primary season but has struggled to dominate suburban areas.
Ms. Haley, unlike many of her former primary rivals, has pointedly refused to endorse Mr. Trump. < /p>
Instead, after suspending her campaign following the results of the Super Tuesday primary in early March, she said he had to «earn the votes of those in and outside our party.» who didn’t support him.”
Joe Biden, the US president, has made clear overtures to his voters.
“Donald Trump has made it clear he doesn't want Nikki Haley's supporters,” he said as she dropped out racing.
p>
A few weeks later, his campaign spent $1 million (£800,000) on an ad featuring clips of Trump attacking Haley and her supporters, which aired for three weeks in battleground states.
One of those states was Pennsylvania, where Ms. Haley won 158,000 votes (16.6 percent) to her former boss's 793,000 (83.4 percent) in last month's primary.
< p>Last week it was reported that three sources close to the Trump campaign confirmed that there had been no outreach from either side. One Republican told CNN that differences between the camps could cost Trump the state.
Indiana is generally considered a safe Republican state and was last won by a Democrat in 2008.
< img src= "/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cef115c26d68990cf987c0ba893cb302.jpg" />Donald Trump attends an election watch party in Columbia on February 24, the day he defeated opponent Nikki Haley in the South Carolina Republican primary. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty
Trump won the state in 2020 with 57 percent of the vote. At the time, Trump's running mate was Mike Pence, a former state governor and congressman. He, too, is withdrawing his support from his former boss.
Danielle Vinson, a political science professor at Furman University, said the danger to the Trump campaign depends on the party affiliation of those who voted for Haley.
«Indiana doesn't register voters by party, so it's possible—though not very likely—that these Haley supporters could be Democrats,» she said. «However, if these voters are predominantly Republicans and independents, that could be a concern for Trump.»
Professor Vinson added that Indiana would «vote for Trump in the general election» but the results would be more significant if if they were replicated in the battleground state.
“Trump certainly cannot afford to lose the votes of Republicans and independents.” in any significant numbers in swing states and win the general election,” she said.
William T. Bianco, a political science professor at Indiana University, said he was not surprised by Ms. Haley's support because Indiana «did not fully support Mr. Trump.»
«A significant portion of Indiana Republicans — Old-school conservatives who prefer small government, low taxes and no drama. They don't need Trump's reputation for chaos,” he told The Telegraph.
«And while party affiliation is a very strong predictor of election decisions, I would not be surprised if these Republicans either defected to Biden or did not vote in the general election.
«These defections will not change the outcome in Indiana. but could have a significant effect in swing states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.»
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