AND?
Were IS THAT vote gonna go come November?
The ‘Zombie Haley ‘factor is alive and well in still running Republican Presidential nomination voting….
Indian’s voters HAVE told us….
In 2016, Indiana put Donald Trump on the doorstep of the GOP presidential nomination. But eight years later, the state he called “Importantville” delivered his campaign some flashing red warning signs as Nikki Haley cleaned up in the suburbs.
By virtue of its late-in-the-nominating-calendar primary, the Hoosier state has always occupied a unique and occasionally powerful perch to make or break candidacies: Sen. Ted Cruz and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropped out immediately after Trump’s victory that year. But the barn-red state also often acts as a pace car for Republicans nationally.
And in a primary that saw a record-breaking $98 million splash across the state, according to AdImpact, Tuesday was no exception.
A zombie Haley candidacy continued to punch above its weight in the Trumpiest of states: The former South Carolina governor is on track to break 20 percent for the first time since she dropped out of the race two months ago.
Outside of the presidential race, it was the panoply of open Republican primaries — for Senate, governor and three congressional seats — that made Indiana a major battleground for the various GOP factions fighting for influence in the party. On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Braun prevailed in the open race for governor, and Rep. Victoria Spartz barely survived a challenging primary.
Here are three things Indiana told us…
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In fact, Haley was on track to score more votes than the second-place finisher in the $40 million GOP gubernatorial contest, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, winning more than 100,000 votes. This, after Trump said, without evidence, that she wouldn’t make the ballot earlier this year.
The state’s senior senator, Todd Young, who has said he will not back Trump and outperformed the former president’s 2020 margin in his 2022 reelection bid, told POLITICO earlier this year he was “warm” to Haley’s candidacy before she dropped out. Former Vice President Mike Pence, an Indiana voter, has also said he would not back Trump. Spokespersons for both declined to say how either voted Tuesday.
Haley’s totals may have been boosted by voters outside the GOP base participating in the primary. Indiana voters don’t register with a political party — and with the Republican gubernatorial primary dominating the airwaves, a broader swath of voters than Trump’s core supporters may have been motivated to pull Republican ballots…
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image…Vogue
Chris Cillizza
I continue to think we are UNDERPLAYING this fact: 6 swing states have held GOP presidential primaries since Nikki Haley dropped out of the race.
She continues to get considerable support in each one. Biden won’t get all of those votes. But if he gets 1 in 5 it matters bigly.