Former President Trump cleaned up with GOP voters across South Carolina, but especially among suburbanites, rural voters, and voters aged 17-29.
Former President Donald Trump’s South Carolina primary win over former UN ambassador Nikki Haley was the culmination of a longstanding effort by the ex-president to cut off his potential and eventual rivals as he seeks to win back the White House.
Despite Haley serving as South Carolina’s governor for six years, Trump eventually won the critical primary contest by over 20 points, reflecting his continued appeal among GOP voters — especially among the state’s strong conservative base.Trump won big with Republican voters
While some Republicans griped that Haley was seeking to court independents and Democrats in addition to GOP voters, South Carolina’s open primary system allowed for such a campaign.
Even with that system in place, Trump still won the Republican primary because he won overwhelmingly with — guess who? — Republican voters.
Republicans made up roughly 68% of the GOP primary electorate, and Trump won them 70% to 29% over Haley, according to exit polling conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool.
