Those who support Ms. Haley to stay in the White House race

For Republican voters who turned their backs on former President Trump, Ms. Haley was the last choice to fight for their beliefs.

Nikki Haley, 52, former US President Donald Trump's last remaining rival in the Republican primary, has suffered another defeat in her home state of South Carolina. The former US ambassador to the United Nations was defeated by Mr. Trump by a margin of 20 percentage points.

Speaking to a cheering crowd after the results were announced, she vowed to continue fighting in the next rounds of confrontation. "There are still a lot of voters in the Republican primaries who said they want an alternative to Trump," she emphasized.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks in Concord, New Hampshire, on January 23. Photo: AP

But many of Haley's primary voters were non-Republicans, and her popularity among Republicans isn't enough to help her beat Trump. Still, many donors are willing to contribute money to her challenge the former president. Haley's campaign even surpassed Trump's in fundraising last month.

There are still many people who want to hear Ms. Haley speak at the next campaign. According to observers, the strongest source of motivation to help the former US ambassador stay on the track is the prestigious former officials who were too disappointed with the Republican Party and never supported Trump.

These were the people who gathered in Washington over the weekend for the Principles First conference, a group that sees itself as a counterweight to the Conservative Political Action Conference, which brings together Mr. Trump’s most fervent supporters.

The conference attracted more than 500 attendees from across the country, featuring a host of prominent former Republican figures such as former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former federal judge J. Michael Luttig, former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, as well as former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Several Trump White House staffers, such as Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews, also appeared on a panel, where they agreed that a Trump re-election would be a "disaster" for the country.

Haley wasn't there, but the event was more of a rally for her supporters. It showed that Haley still has some appeal to a small but passionate constituency, which seems to be why she hasn't given up hope despite losing four primaries to Trump.

Maureen Hosey, a 59-year-old accountant from Brewster, New York, wore a T-shirt that read "Ban. Forever," a reference to Trump's recent warning that he would blacklist Haley's donors.

"I'm a lifelong Republican. She's saying things that I remember Republican politicians saying a lot," Hosey explained of his decision to support Haley.

Brian Considine, 66, a business owner from Middletown, Maryland, said Haley was the first politician he had donated to. "I think she's fantastic," he said. "People say she's relentless and her sole purpose is to take down Trump. I think that's a good thing."

Farah Griffin, the former White House communications director, argued at the conference that Haley is "representing something really important in this historic moment, which is that about a third of Republicans can't stand Donald Trump and they're hungry for another face."

The campaign for former President Trump argues that Haley is hurting the party's prospects of winning back the White House by preventing Republicans from uniting behind a single candidate.

There has been much speculation about Haley's true motives for staying in the race, with some Principles First attendees theorizing that she could be positioning herself as a "Plan B" for the party in the event that Trump, who faces 91 charges in multiple cases, is convicted.

Others hope Haley can lead the Republican Party forward if they lose this year's election. "I think it's important to have someone who can prepare for the future," said Barbara Comstock, a former Republican congresswoman from Virginia who endorsed Haley.

Zean Gassman, 64, from Annapolis, Maryland, traveled to South Carolina last week to attend Haley and Trump events and knock on doors to rally support for Haley.

“It’s like buying a lottery ticket,” he said. “Your chances are slim, but you can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket.”

Heath Mayo, founder of the Principles First conference, said he appreciated Haley's determination. "There are a lot of theories, but I think she really cares about what she's doing," he said. "She sees the threat and realizes that bowing to Trump doesn't pay off."

Many conference attendees said they wanted to see Haley's stronger side sooner.

“It was important that someone spoke up to him, but Haley should have spoken up sooner, instead of when she had no chance of winning,” said Stephanie Sharp, a former Republican congresswoman from Kansas.

Haley said she has no intention of running as Trump's running mate, but did not rule out supporting the former president. Haley told NPR last week that she considers President Joe Biden "more dangerous" and said in her concession speech in South Carolina that "we have to defeat President Biden in November."

While anti-Trumpers at the Principles First conference applauded Haley for fighting for their cause, some worry that if she decides to support Mr. Trump in November, it could do more harm than good.

But they are now pleased to see Haley's unusual trajectory. "I do worry that she could be a secondary option, someone who attracts reluctant voters to the Republican Party," said Bill Kristol, a conservative anti-Trump writer. "But I don't believe that right now."

Kristol still urges Haley to stay in the race and doesn't think she'll end up endorsing former President Trump. "The criticism is strong enough and loud enough that even if she endorses him, it's going to be reluctant. I don't think it's going to make a difference," he stressed.

Vu Hoang (According to Washington Post, Reuters, AFP )

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