What’s next for Nikki Haley? NC supporters share their thoughts ahead of Super Tuesday

Supporters of Nikki Haley gathered at a Charlotte rally on Friday, expressing hope that her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination can finally notch a win and that she can find a way to stay relevant — even if she can’t defeat former President Donald Trump.

Haley’s rally was held at Suffolk Punch’s Norfolk Hall in SouthEnd, her first of two events in North Carolina over the weekend ahead of the state’s Tuesday primary.

Numerous states across the country will hold their primaries or caucuses on “Super Tuesday,” making it a pivotal day for Haley’s campaign. She’s yet to get a win in the Republican nominating process, losing in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan.

Republican primary polls continue to show Trump well ahead of Haley.

The former president leads the former South Carolina governor 73.8% to 20.2% in North Carolina in FiveThirtyEight’s latest average. In national polls, Trump leads Haley 76.8% to 15%, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Haley told reporters Friday morning she didn’t “have an answer for you” on what’s next for her campaign after Super Tuesday, ABC News reported.

“My approach has always been, as long as we’re competitive,” Haley said. “Super Tuesday we’re going to try to be competitive. I hope we go forward. But this is all about how competitive we can be.”

At Friday’s rally, the candidate reiterated her belief that she is the only Republican candidate left standing with a chance to beat President Joe Biden in November. She cites polling data that shows her running ahead of the Democratic incumbent and Trump’s ongoing legal problems.

“We don’t anoint kings in America, we have elections,” she said. “... Don’t complain about what happens in a general election if you don’t vote in this primary.”

Haley’s campaign has also highlighted their fundraising success, announcing they raised $12 million in February after bringing in a campaign-best $16.5 million in January

Some in Friday’s crowd acknowledged that despite her upbeat tone, it’s an uphill climb for Haley to win in North Carolina and beyond. Still, they said they’re prepared to vote for her in the primary and are open to finding other ways to support her as the campaign progresses.

Anti-Trump, independent voters consider Haley

Laura Schwenk, of Huntersville, said she was drawn to come see Haley speak after seeing her performance in Republican primary debates and because of her husband’s support for the candidate.

“I feel like she’s the only one who kind of held her ground with everything,” she said.

Schwenk said that as a “swing voter,” she’s considering voting for Haley in Tuesday’s primary.

Her husband, Binit Patel, noted that he and Haley have “similar roots” as they’re both Indian-American and grew up in rural South Carolina. Patel said he thinks a younger, woman president would be “good change” for the country.

“I think she’s done well for herself, and I think she’d be a good leader,” he said. “I think we need a change.”

He’s decided he’ll vote for Haley Tuesday, Patel said.

Andrew Vayfard, of Waxhaw, said he likes Haley in part because he “despises Trump.”

“We need a change, and I like her views,” he said, adding that he plans to vote for Haley in the primary but is unsure whether she can win North Carolina.

“It’s going to be close,” he predicted.

Would Haley voters back a third party or independent bid?

There’s been increased speculation in recent days that Haley could run with the No Labels party, a self-described centrist group that’s considering launching a “unity” presidential ticket, after one of the group’s leaders cited her as a possible nominee.

“We’re looking for great quality people, folks that have broad appeal to independents, Democrats, Republicans. And, yeah, I mean, Nikki Haley is somebody we’d definitely be interested in,” former Democratic South Carolina Congressman and No Labels’ national director Joe Cunningham said in an interview on “Fox and Friends Sunday.”

But Haley pushed back on that notion on a call with reporters Friday, saying she’s had no contact with the group and couldn’t agree to having a Democratic running mate, NBC News reported.

“I’ve always believed if you do something, do it right or don’t do it,” she said. “And so I don’t think I can do it right. If I ran for No Labels, that would mean it’s about me. It’s not about me. It’s about the direction I think the country should go.”

Former Charlotte Mayor and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who’s been involved with No Labels, told the Charlotte Observer Friday it would be “inappropriate to not give (Haley) a chance to win the Republican nomination.”

“I know her well, and she ought to be given every opportunity to follow through on the process that she’s been working on a long time. So I’m going to respect her ability to do that. She has every right to do that,” he said.

Patel said he thinks it would be “interesting” if Haley mounted an independent or third party bid.

“I don’t want to see her give up the fight. I think that she’s got a lot of good traction,” he said. She has a voice that needs to be heard.”

Schwenk said that as an independent, she could see Haley gaining ground with voters like her who are frustrated with both the Republican and Democratic parties.

“I think that could go well for her,” she said.

Vayfard said he’d definitely support Haley if she ran as an independent or third party candidate. But when asked if he thinks she could win in November that way, he gave a one-word answer: “No.”

‘Trying again is important’

Regardless of whether Haley stays in the 2024 race or not, Maddison Saliba of Cary won’t be old enough to vote for her. But that didn’t stop the teen and her father, Matthew Saliba, from traveling to Charlotte’s event for what they called “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Draped in an American flag dress, the younger Saliba said she’s seen coverage of other Haley events on television and “really likes what Nikki Haley has been doing.”

“I like the energy. I like her foreign policy. I like her can-do spirit,” she said.

If Haley doesn’t win in the North Carolina primary and beyond, Saliba said she’d still like to see her involved in “making policies that help America move forward,” especially on issues of immigration and public safety.

And if Haley were to run again in a future election when Saliba was old enough to vote, the teen said she’d have her support.

“I think trying again is important,” she said.

Haley in Raleigh

At her rally in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, she gave her pitch to Republican voters about how she is a better candidate than Trump to defeat Biden in the fall.

She also criticized the media for asking why she’s still in the race.

“’Why does she keep fighting? Why does she keep doing this?’ I think I’m pretty much proven I’m not trying to be vice president. And if this was about my political career, trust me, I would have been out a long time ago,” Haley said during her speech at Union Station.

“The reason I’m doing this is because of my kids. It’s because of your kids and our grandkids, right?” Haley said to enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

College student Margaret Hope Scott, a Haley supporter passing out signs and other items as people came in, was at not just her first Haley event, but her first time volunteering for any political event.

“The direction that she would like to head with this country, I’m a huge fan of it. I think it’s definitely something we need, especially as a younger generation, she’s really got the embodiment of the American values back where it needs to be,” said Scott, who lives in Clayton.

Scott said she applauds Haley for staying in the race, even though Trump has won primary elections in other states.

“I think it’s really inspiring, everything that she does,” Scott said about Haley.

She told reporters after the Raleigh event that she’s going to keep going.

We’re running through the tape. That’s what’s happening. ... Anywhere and everywhere. We leave here, we’re headed to Boston, and we’re headed to Vermont, and we’re headed to Maine. We’re gonna keep going, and we’re gonna keep pushing,” Haley said on Saturday.

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