Trump defeats Nikki Haley in South Carolina primary

The news: Donald Trump beat rival Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina in the highly anticipated Republican Presidential primary on Saturday, inching a step closer to securing the Republican nomination.

The numbers: By midnight on Saturday with over 90% of the votes counted, Trump held 60% while Haley held 39% of votes. The Associated Press called the race in Trump’s favour the same minute that polls closed in the state.

The context: Despite Haley’s role as former governor of South Carolina, Trump’s defeat in the state was largely in line with expectations. The victory came after consecutive wins by Trump in the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses last month, and followed a significant surge in campaign advertising by Haley who has tapped Wall Street donors and Super PACS for funding. Haley said that she will remain in the race despite the loss, arguing that “huge numbers” of Republican voters say they want an alternative to both Trump and Joe Biden.

What they said: In his victory speech delivered in Columbia, South Carolina, Trump said: “On November 5, we’re going to look at Joe Biden, we’re going to look him straight in the eye — he’s destroying our country — and we’re going to say ‘Joe you’re fired! Get out Joe!”