‘I’m so proud of her’: Nikki Haley supporters vote in South Carolina primary

Still recovering from a surgery she’d had earlier that week, Cindy Tripp convinced her husband to drive her to Patriots Point in South Carolina for Nikki Haley’s election eve rally.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Tripp said, laughing as the sun set over the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, the backdrop for Haley’s final home state primary event. “But I couldn’t miss this because I’m so proud of her.”

Tripp, who turns 60 next week, cast her ballot for Haley the first morning of the first day of early voting on 12 February. In the days before Saturday’s primary, she has worked to get out the vote in South Carolina, where Haley is bracing for a loss in the state that twice elected her governor.

But some of her supporters are sticking with their candidate until the end.

Haley is Trump’s last remaining primary rival. Casting herself as David taking on Goliath, she has refused to drop out of the race, thrilling her supporters who say they no longer feel welcome in Donald Trump’s Republican party.

“Nikki represents an opportunity for us to finally speak,” Tripp said.

On a Beast of the South-East bus tour across her “sweet” South Carolina, Haley was often greeted by crowds of women and girls eager to see her make history. But also – and more importantly, they emphasize – she would restore a sense of normalcy to American politics.

“She’s not the best woman for the job. She’s the best person for the job,” said Judith Smith, who carried a homemade Run Nikki Run sign at a Haley event in Moncks Corner on Friday.

When to expect South Carolina results

Key dates for the 2024 election

Who’s running for president?

Haley’s steep odds in South Carolina

Those like Smith who recall Haley’s tenure as governor point to her stewardship of the