The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has acknowledged Donald Trump won an “easy victory” over Nimarata ‘Nikki’ Haley in her home state of South Carolina but is urging her to remain in the race regardless.
“Ms. Haley won nearly 40 percent of the vote, which as she said in remarks Saturday evening ‘is not some tiny group,'” the WSJ board insisted — while admitting “Democrats could vote” in the primary.
All indications are that Barack Obama-linked operatives turned out leftists to boost Haley, who still lost by over 20 points.
“[A]s in New Hampshire, the size of her vote shows that millions in the [Republican] party don’t want Mr. Trump back in the White House,” the board continued, not acknowledging that New Hampshire was also a state where Democrats could vote. Seventy percent of Haley voters there were not registered Republicans.
The WSJ also stressed that a share of Haley voters claim they will not back Trump in the general election. They failed to acknowledge that a share of Haley voters in South Carolina were Democrats. They also failed to recognize the far greater risk that Trump Republicans, who are a much greater share of the Republican base than Haley voters, would not back her in the general.
“Ms. Haley is telling voters she can be the alternative as a uniter that millions of them seem to want. It’s a message worth staying in the race for,” the board concluded.
So far, polls suggest Haley has only been able to unite 18 percent of the GOP behind her nationally, indicating she is significantly less likely to be able to unite the party at large behind her than Trump.
The WSJ also cited Haley’s enthusiasm for U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war as a point in her favor.