With just days to go before a critical primary in her home state of South Carolina, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley says her challenge to former President Donald Trump is more important than ever.
"South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday I'll still be running for president," Haley said during a campaign speech in Greenville, S.C. "I'm not going anywhere."
Haley pledged to remain in the race until "the last person votes."
"Dropping out would be the easy route," she added. "I'm not taking the easy route."
She also had strong words for Trump, the front-runner in the race.
"We've all heard the calls for me to drop out. We all know where they're coming from. The political elite, the party bosses," Haley said. "Of course many of the same politicians who publicly embrace Trump privately dread him."
"I feel no need to kiss the ring. I have no fear of Trump's retribution. I'm not looking for anything from him," she added." My own political future is of zero concern. So I hear what the political class says. But I hear from the American people, too."
Haley, a former South Carolina governor, is trailing Trump in Republican primary polls, and has yet to win a presidential nominating contest.
She addressed that in her speech as well, saying the American people want something different than a Biden-Trump rematch.
"I've been the underdog in every race I've ever run. I've always been David taking on Goliath," Haley said, speaking of the Bible story about a young man taking on a giant. "And like David, I'm not just fighting someone bigger than me, I'm fighting for something bigger than myself."
She's continued fundraising and campaigning ahead of South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday. Her campaign has said she recently raised more than $1 million while fundraising in Texas and at least $1.7 million during a recent trip to California.
In recent weeks, Haley has been directing attacks at both Trump and President Joe Biden.
She's accused Trump of bringing "chaos" to the party and the country, and criticized him for failing to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin following the death of opposition leaderAlexei Navalny.
On Biden, she's been highlighting his age and promising a new generation of leadership.
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