Nikki Haley STAYS IN the race and insists it is ‘far from over’ despite her defeat to Trump in New Hampshire Republican Primary

Nikki Haley assured supporters she will not abandon the 2024 primaries in a speech congratulating Donald Trump on his victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

The 2024 hopeful says the race is far from over and insists she is looking forward to the primaries in her home state of South Carolina next month.

The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor gambled on performing better in New Hampshire after a disappointing third-place finish last week in the Iowa caucuses, but fell short again.

“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory – he earned it, and I want to acknowledge that,” Haley, 52, told supporters at her campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire.

“You’ve all heard the chatter among the political class. They’re falling over themselves and saying this race is over. It is not over yet!’ she exclaimed.

What has been a three-way race until now turned into a head-to-head for the Republican nomination after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday.

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Now Haley and Trump are the only two vying for the Republican vote for the 2024 general election.

“New Hampshire is first in the country – it’s not last in the country. This race is far from over. There are still dozens of states to go,” Haley said in her concession speech, adding that “the next one is my dear state of South Carolina.”

With her two children Rena, 26, and Nalin, 22, in the audience, Haley showed she’s now headed back to South Carolina – where she hopes to finally get a win in her home state.

However, the Palmetto State is holding its fourth primary, after the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primaries and the Nevada contests. Her comments Tuesday indicate that Haley largely plans to ignore Nevada, where she is participating in the primaries and cannot earn state delegates.

Trump’s dominant victory in New Hampshire proves that even in a state with more moderate Republicans, the former president still has a strong hold on the Republican Party.

Many Democratic voters in New Hampshire told DailyMail.com they switched their registration to undecided so they could cast their ballots for Haley in the Republican primary, hoping to thwart Trump’s lead.

Polls just days before the Jan. 23 primary, when DeSantis was still eligible, placed Haley in a solid second place — but still about 20 percentage points behind Trump.

In the month before the primaries, Haley came within one digit of Trump. In one poll from January 12 to 15, Haley and Trump were dead, even at 40 percent each.

Haley stormed into New Hampshire after leaving Iowa on Jan. 15 with 19.1 percent of the vote in the caucuses. She held an average of three official events a day, along with off-the-record living room political stops at restaurants, pubs and markets.

Since the Iowa caucuses, Trump has held a rally in several New Hampshire cities every day, with the exception of Thursday. He has also made record stops in the country’s first primaries, such as at his campaign headquarters.

As voters emerge from polling stations in the blue town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, they can tell DailyMail.com they voted for Haley — while others wrote in President Joe Biden’s name.

Only one voter announced they voted for Trump, claiming Haley has “no chance.”