Nikki Haley will square up to Donald Trump in another Republican primary on Tuesday, this time in Michigan, and will be hoping to put in another respectable showing and run her rival close, even if she does not believe she can win, to justify her dogged insistence on staying in the contest for Super Tuesday on 5 March.
Ms Haley was beaten again in her home state of South Carolina on Saturday and suffered a further blow in its aftermath when she lost the support of Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), the political wing of the conservative donor network led by billionaire Charles Koch, which announced it would no longer be supporting her campaign.
AFP senior adviser Emily Seidel reacted in a memo on Sunday: “With the South Carolina presidential primary this weekend and the Senate engagement really heating up, it’s time to take stock of where we are and – as we always do – make sure we’re optimising our resources for maximum impact towards our goals.”
Mr Trump particularly relished the news, writing on Truth Social that “Charles Koch and his group got played for suckers right from the beginning”.