WASHINGTON – Donald Trump and Nikki Haley face off Saturday in South Carolina’s first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary, the first head-to-head matchup for the last two remaining major candidates since the New Hampshire primary a month ago.
The contest takes place on Haley’s home turf. She was South Carolina's governor for six years before stepping down in 2017 to serve as U.N. ambassador when Trump was elected president. Despite her history, Haley faces strong headwinds in a state where Trump has the support of most of the party establishment, has held a substantial lead in recent polls and enjoys high popularity among the conservative base.
The South Carolina primary is usually an indicator of which candidate will win the Republican presidential nomination. Since the modern version of the state’s primary began in 1980, all but one GOP primary winner has gone on to win the party’s nomination. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.
Polls will close statewide at 7 p.m. EST. South Carolina has an open primary system, which means any registered voter may participate in any party’s primary. But voters may only participate in one party’s presidential primary, so people who voted in the Democratic primary on Feb. 3 may not vote in the Republican contest.