Nikki Haley refuses to back down even after South Carolina loss

After losing the South Carolina state primary to Donald Trump, Nikki Haley still refuses to back down. Later in the evening, after the state primary, Haley took to the stage, announcing that she would keep fighting, NBC reported. 

She promised to stay in the Grand Old Party (GOP) presidential contest through at least Super Tuesday, which is scheduled for March 5 and involves voting in 15 states and one territory.

After defeat in her home state of South Carolina on Saturday, voters and campaign observers believe that the longer she remains in the race, the greater the chance she has of jeopardising her reputation and political future.

She's increasingly being linked to Democrats. Her Republican support is waning. And her attacks on Trump have drawn rebukes from GOP voters in a party that the former president now owns.

According to Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett, Haley's ultimate strategy is becoming less and less evident to political observers.

Bartlett said, "I guess she wants to go out in flames; that's how she wants to go out." 

Haley’s appeal with moderates, independents, and Democrats "has damned her in South Carolina," he added.

"It will damn her with Super Tuesday states, and there’s no way at a convention that Republicans will pick a Republican loved by Democrats as the alternative."