Election Results
On Wednesday, the 6th of March 2024, Nikki Hailey announced she was ceasing her campaign after winning only two primaries. Vermont and the District of Columbia. She beat Trump in Vermont 49.8% to 45.6%, with a total of 36,000 votes for herself and 33,000 for Trump. In the District of Columbia, only 2000 people voted. She won 62.9% to 33.3% against Trump.
Nikki Hailey’s Campaign
During Nikki Hailey’s campaign, she won over moderates and independents as well as being the alternative to Republican voters who did not want to vote for Trump. She won 91 delegates and raised over $100 million. She had major financial support from Billionaire Charles Koch who owns Koch Industries. A company that refines Petroleum, makes Chemicals, and extracts other natural resources. Charles Koch donated $24 million to Nikki Hailey’s Presidential campaign.
Nikki Hailey had set her sights on 5 States: South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine. These states had a significant independent vote like Maine, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Vermont. 36.7% of registered voters in Maine are independent voters. Virginia had approximately 50% of its voters saying they were likely to vote independent but only approximately 30% are registered. In New Hampshire, it is 40% and in Vermont, it is approximately 30%. South Carolina has a lower percentage of independence at 10%.
Losses in Other States
Unsurprisingly, she did as well as you would expect for a candidate reliant on moderates and independent voters in the Republican Primaries. As previously mentioned, she won Vermont and the District of Columbia and did well in states with a high percentage of independents. She was outdone by Trump around the board, as she was attracting a small specific crowd and did not align with former President Trump and his policies. The Trump Republican base encompasses most of the Republican Party and it is difficult to win elections within the party without his support.
Republican Primary Results in high percentage independent voter states
| State | Independent Voters (%) | Percentage of Primary vote |
| New Hampshire | 40% | 43.3% (Loss) |
| South Carolina | 10% | 39.5% (Loss) |
| Maine | 36.7% | 25.6% (Loss) |
| Vermont | 30% | 49.8% (Win) |
| Virginia | 30% | 34.9% (Loss) |
Nikki Hailey won the vote of Democrat-leaning independent voters, Independent Voters can vote in either political party’s Primary vote, as many independent voters did not want to vote Democrat due to the explosion in Illegal Immigration, Inflation, and Taxes. Furthermore, they did not want to vote Republican due to Trump’s portrayal by the Mainstream Media which associated him with extremism, despite this being false. Nikki Hailey perfectly positioned herself in between Donald Trump and the disenfranchised Democratic Party voters. She was a more left-leaning Republican in the Republican Primaries which gave her an advantage in independent voter states.
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