As Nikki Haley stepped to the podium Saturday night, the bravado she had embodied after losing in New Hampshire a month earlier was gone.
Her expression was somber and, for a moment, she appeared to be edging toward withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination.
We need to beat Joe Biden in November,” she said, as her audience held its breath.
Finally, she pivoted: “I don’t believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden.”It was a remarkable corrective from Jan. 23, when she spun her 43 percent of New Hampshire’s vote from defeat into a kind of victory and vowed to beat Mr. Trump in her home state of South Carolina.
And though Ms. Haley similarly resolved to stay in the race on Saturday, her fortitude now looked more like stubborn grit and determination than upbeat confidence.
Persons:
Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, ”, Donald Trump, Trump, Haley
Organizations:
Republican
Locations:
New Hampshire, South Carolina