Nikki Haley, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations and a Republican presidential candidate, announced the suspension of her campaign during a speech on Wednesday, effectively leaving former President Donald Trump as the sole nominee for the party.
In her address, Haley expressed her decision to suspend her presidential bid, stating, "The time has now come to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets."
Reports suggest that Haley's withdrawal from the presidential race came after facing defeats in all states except Vermont during the Super Tuesday primary contests.
While Haley did not explicitly endorse Trump during her speech, she urged the former President to actively seek the support of Republican and independent voters who had previously supported her. "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it," she stated. "And I hope he does that."
Following the results of Super Tuesday, President Joe Biden from the Democratic Party and Trump emerged as the clear frontrunners in their respective parties' presidential nomination primaries across 15 states in the US.
Trump, aged 77, secured significant victories in Texas, California, and 11 other states, establishing a commanding lead in the delegate count over his sole Republican opponent, Haley. However, Haley managed to secure a victory in Vermont, denying Trump a complete sweep.
To clinch the presidential nomination of the Republican party, either candidate needs to secure 1,215 delegates elected during the primaries. Following Super Tuesday, Trump amassed 244 delegates, while Haley had garnered only 86.
Notably, Nikki Haley gained prominence as the first significant Republican figure to challenge the former US President, launching her bid in February 2023 after serving in Trump's Cabinet from 2017 to 2018.
