Charleston, S.C. (CN) — Donald Trump won the South Carolina Republican primary, soundly defeating Nikki Haley in her home state.
The Associated Press called the race for Trump only minutes after polls closed in the Palmetto State. At 9:45 p.m., he was leading Haley by 21 points, 60 percent to 39 percent, with more than 80 percent of the votes tallied.
The former president told supporters in Columbia, the state’s capital, that it was “a fantastic evening — an early evening.”
Trump said he looked forward to telling the president Joe Biden on Nov. 5: “You’re fired.”
Haley announced days before the primary that she would stay in the race regardless of Saturday’s outcome, defying calls from some conservatives for the party to unite behind Trump.
She emphasized that point in her concession speech Saturday.
“Today is not the end of our story,” she said.
It was a bruising loss for Haley, who was twice elected governor for South Carolina before joining Trump’s cabinet as United Nations ambassador. Polls showed Haley trailing Trump by almost 30 points before the primary.
Haley lost by 11 points in New Hampshire and 32 points in Iowa, where she placed third behind Florida Governor Rick DeSantis, who has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.
Trump also won the contests in Nevada and the Virgin Islands.
Trump will earn 29 of South Carolina’s delegates if he is declared the official winner of the statewide vote, bringing his national total to 92 delegates. Haley can still earn delegates if she beats Trump in any of the state’s seven congressional districts, which each award an additional three delegates to the top vote-getter.
It was not clear Saturday night who secured those delegates.
Trump’s popularity in the state was on display during a Valentine’s Day rally. Throngs of supporters crowded into a North Charleston convention center for the event, which also drew many of the state’s top elected officials, including Governor Henry McMasters, the former lieutenant governor under Haley.
“This is MAGA country,” Trump crowed.
More than 200,000 votes were cast in early voting and state GOP officials anticipated record turnout. In South Carolina, residents can cast their ballot in either the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both.
The candidates will now turn their attention to Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27. Haley has said she would continue her campaign at least until Super Tuesday, when 16 states hold nominating contests.
“Right now, the furthest we’ve thought is we certainly are going to go past South Carolina, go into Michigan and go into Super Tuesday states,” she told NPR’s Morning Edition this week.
A total of 2,429 delegates are awarded in the Republican primaries. A candidate must win 1,215 to secure the nomination.
