The US Republicans continued the primaries to choose their presidential candidate in the state of South Carolina on Saturday. The clear favorite in the southern state is former President Donald Trump, who has already won the previous primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada and has left his rival Nikki Haley far behind.
Haley was also far behind in the polls for South Carolina, even though she calls the state home and was governor there from 2011 to 2017. Voting began at 7 a.m. local time (1 p.m. CET). The first results are expected around 1 a.m. (CET).
Trump was confident of victory on the eve of the election. “Tomorrow you will cast one of the most important votes of your life, and frankly we’re not too worried about tomorrow,” he said at a campaign rally in the town of Rock Hill.
Along with pastor and businessman Ryan Binkley, who is considered to have no chance, Haley is the only remaining competition for Trump in the competition for the Republican candidacy against President Joe Biden in the US election on November 5th. Haley has recently faced increasing calls from the Trump camp that she should throw in the towel.
The former ambassador to the UN has already announced that she does not want to give up even if she loses in South Carolina. The ex-diplomat continues to rely on the support of moderate conservatives who find Trump too erratic and extreme – and who are also suspicious of him because of the various legal charges and proceedings against him.
The presidential candidate of the opposition Republicans will be formally nominated at a party conference in July after the primary elections. The Democrats are also holding primaries, but incumbent Biden is already almost certain as the candidate for the November election.
