Haley throws in the towel

by Elizabeth Crisp - 03/06/24 2:24 PM ET

Campaign Report

The Big Story

Haley throws in the towel

Nikki Haley has suspended her long-shot campaign for the GOP presidential nomination after a disappointing Super Tuesday showing. But she’s not yet endorsing Donald Trump.

Haley made the announcement on Wednesday morning, the day after Trump romped through most of the 15 states holding nominating contests as part of Super Tuesday.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that,” she said in a public address.

“At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing.”

Biden quickly swooped in to appeal to Haley’s supporters after her announcement.

“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement.

Trump has spent months hammering Haley, calling her “Birdbrain,” among other insults. He posted to TruthSocial in January that any Haley donors “from this moment fort, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them.”

After her announcement Wednesday, Trump again ripped Haley but invited her supporters “to join the greatest movement in the history of our nation.”

The Biden-Trump rematch has some Democrats worried. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) likes the idea, though.

Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, I’m Liz Crisp. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington.

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On Our Watch

Other highlights from a busy Super Tuesday

> Schiff takes California primary win: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Cali.), a top foe of former President Trump, is now a favorite to head to the Senate, after fending off two House colleagues – Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee – in the Democratic primary to fill the seat opened with the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Schiff will face Republican Steve Garvey on the November ballot. (The Hill)

> Texas GOP leaders serve up revenge: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton – all Republicans – successfully led efforts to unseat several incumbent Republican lawmakers who had crossed them.

The trio each endorsed opponents and poured money into the races to topple the slate of about a dozen incumbents who had helped block a push for school vouchers and/or backed an unsuccessful effort to impeach Paxton last year. (The Hill)

> Lee wins primary after mayoral loss: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) unsuccessfully ran for Houston mayor last year, then faced a slate of challengers to maintain the seat she’s held in the House since the 1990s.

Lee won a decisive primary victory on Tuesday, despite polls suggesting that she faced a tight challenge. (The Hill)

Essential Reads

Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage:

Kinzinger blasts Trump for calling US third-world country: ‘Eat dirt scumbag’

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) took to social media to tell former President Trump to “eat dirt” after Trump called the United States a third-world country in his Super Tuesday victory speech. “Trump just called America a ‘third world’ country.’ With all due respect (which is none), eat dirt scumbag,” Kinzinger posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “This is the best country on earth. You, are our biggest …

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Dean Phillips drops long-shot bid, backs Biden

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) suspended his Democratic presidential bid after failing to gain any traction while positioning himself as an alternative to President Biden. He said that “it is clear that alternative is not me” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to …

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The Countdown

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

1 days until the State of the Union
132 days until the Republican National Convention
166 days until the Democratic National Convention
243 days until the 2024 general election

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into runoff in Texas

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is headed to a runoff as he tries for reelection in the Lone Star State’s 23rd Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. The Texas lawmaker comes in just short of the 50-plus percent needed to win the Republican primary outright and will face Republican Brandon Herrera in a runoff. With more than half of the votes reported, Gonzales was pulling in more than double Herrera’s …

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Speaker Johnson on Biden, Trump race: ‘We like that rematch’

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was bullish Wednesday about former President Trump’s chances in his 2024 presidential rematch against President Biden, which solidified after former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley suspended her campaign and cleared the way for Trump to clinch the Republican nomination. “We’re very happy with the results last night,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday, hours after Trump swept most states on …

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Around the Nation

Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections:

Two law enforcement officials criticized in DOJ report for Uvalde response win Republican primary (Texas Tribune)
Voters make it clear: San Francisco can no longer be called a progressive city (San Francisco Chronicle)
‘Uncommitted’ vote against Biden blows past goal in Minnesota’s Democratic primary (Star Tribune)

What We’re Reading

Election news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

What Nikki Haley’s history-making campaign tells us about the GOP and women (The 19th News)
How Trump’s Courtroom Calendar Collides With His Campaign Calendar (Wall Street Journal)
UberX and mismatched furniture: How Trump campaign is reining in costs as it prepares for general election (CNN)

Elsewhere Today

Key stories on The Hill right now:

SEC finalizes weakened rule to make companies disclose climate information

The federal government will require some of the largest publicly traded companies to disclose their levels of greenhouse gas emissions under a new rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC voted 3-2 on Wednesday to require large companies to tell investors about greenhouse gas emissions directly caused by their business … Read more

Plutonium pit ‘panic’ threatens America’s nuclear ambitions

This is the second story in a series about Sentinel, the Air Force’s nuclear missile modernization project. Other stories touch on the challenges in the surrounding communities near Sentinel construction and with the Air Force’s budget issues. At Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where the U.S. tested its first nuclear … Read more