Haley shrugs off South Carolina polling as she trails Trump by double digits

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday shrugged off dismal polling numbers in her home state of South Carolina as she trails former President Trump ahead of the state’s GOP primary on Saturday. 

“Can you explain to the casual viewer who sees the polls — you down potentially 20-30 points in your home state — and they might wonder ‘Why’s she down in her home state?’ What would you tell them?” Blake Burman asked the former South Carolina governor in an interview on “The Hill on NewsNation.”

“You know, what I would tell them is that they said I wouldn’t make it to Iowa, and we defeated a dozen other fellas. And we didn’t just make it to Iowa, we came within 1 percent of second place. We had 20 percent,” Haley said. 

“The day of the election of New Hampshire, they said I was down 30 points. We got 43 percent of the vote. This is- the only poll that matters is the one that happens in South Carolina,” she added.

Haley is the last GOP challenger standing between Trump and the party nomination — but she’s resisting calls to drop out of the race. 

On Tuesday, Haley insisted she’s staying in the presidential race despite her poor polling numbers and the Trump team’s insistence that “the end is near for Nikki Haley.” 

Her latest remarks come just days before the GOP primary in her home state of South Carolina, where she trails Trump by roughly 31 points, according to the latest polling averages from The Hill-Decision Desk HQ. 

Haley said she plans to stay in at least until the dozen-plus primaries and caucuses that take place next month on Super Tuesday. 

“We’re having hundreds of people show up in our rallies every single day. And we’re getting people to the polls, and that’s what matters,” Haley told NewsNation. 

In remarks to supporters on Tuesday, Haley said “South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday I will still be running for president.”

The Hill and NewsNation are owned by the same parent company, Nexstar Media Group.