Nikki Haley is sharpening contrasts with Donald Trump in the South Carolina primary’s closing days

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley is using the closing days of her South Carolina Republican primary matchup with Donald Trump to hone her argument that she is the lone remaining candidate who can unite Americans, despite the former president’s electoral wins thus far and his popularity in her home state.

It’s a tall order for Haley as South Carolina prepares to vote on Saturday. Trump’s 2016 primary win helped cement his front-runner status, and he boasts support from all of the state’s top elected leaders and all but one of its congressional Republicans.

But Haley has maintained that her ability to stick it out in the race, having outlasted a dozen also-ran candidates, means that she’s in it for the long haul. Her amped-up fundraising could keep her going despite her earlier losses to Trump.

Part of Haley’s argument is her continued showcase of her foreign policy knowhow, having served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador for two years, as more and more of her campaign appearances feature areas in which she says she would have acted differently than her former boss.

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