WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Nikki Haley’s campaign seemed unbothered Wednesday by last night’s results in Nevada where the candidate failed to get more votes than “none of these candidates.”
The Haley camp said the Nevada GOP primary was rigged for former President Donald Trump. Haley’s campaign told NewsNation they didn’t bother to play the game they say was rigged for Trump. “Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots, the house wins,” a statement from the Haley campaign read in part.
Instead, Haley says the campaign is focusing on South Carolina, her home state where she previously served as governor.
Trump won both Iowa and New Hampshire last month, and he’s polling well ahead of Haley in South Carolina, the next state to vote in the Republican lineup. Its GOP primary is Feb. 24.
Haley is the last major challenger to Trump in the Republican primary race. While focusing on South Carolina’s primary as an opportunity to demonstrate momentum against Trump, she is also traveling the country to attend fundraisers and is scheduled to appear at a rally in California on Wednesday.
Despite the Nevada loss, Haley’s campaign is raking in cash.
Haley’s campaign announced Monday that she hauled in $16.5 million in January across her campaign committees, after raising $24 million in the fourth quarter last year. Trump had more in the bank at the end of the year, but he’s also spending heavily on legal costs as he faces multiple courtroom battles.y
The last quarter of 2023 was Haley’s best of the year, with her campaign bringing in roughly $24 million and ending with $14.5 million cash on hand. Her team reported some 180,000 donors to Haley’s presidential bid last year and nearly 70,000 more in January.
After Trump warned donors last month that anyone who contributes to Haley would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp,” Haley fundraised off the remark and announced a $1 million boost the next day.
NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.