GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that she no longer feels bound by the pledge that requires all GOP contenders to support the party's eventual nominee in order to participate in the primary debates.
The Republican National Committee had made this pledge a prerequisite for all candidates, and almost all of the major contenders signed it, with the exception of Donald Trump, the current front-runner, who was absent from the debates.
When Haley, Trump's only remaining major rival for the nomination, was asked on NBC's “Meet the Press” whether she had to honor that commitment, she said: “No. I think I'll make the decision I want to make.”
“The Republican National Committee is not the same now as the Republican National Committee” as it was at the time of the debates, she said. She also confirmed that she had always said she had “serious concerns” about Trump, for whom she served as ambassador to the United Nations.
The Republican National Committee is in the midst of big changes, with Chair Ronna McDaniel set to leave her job on Friday. She was Trump's handpicked pick to lead the Republican National Committee shortly after the 2016 election, but now Trump is poised to install his loyalists at the head of the organization. He has declared his preference for North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, a little-known veteran activist, to replace McDaniel. Trump also chose his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be co-chair of the committee.
Haley rejected questions about whether she would withdraw from the election and ultimately support Trump.
“Right now, my focus is: How do we touch this many voters? How do we win?” she said. “I want the American people to see that you don't have to live this way. There is a way forward. And we can do that with someone who can last eight years, who can continually focus on the results and not on the negativity and burdens that we have now.
On Saturday, Trump continued his march towards the nomination, winning the caucuses in Idaho and Missouri and sweeping the number of delegates at the party convention in Michigan.
Trump's delegates now number 244, compared to 24 for Haley. A candidate needs to secure 1,215 delegates to win the nomination.
The next event on the Republican calendar was Sunday in the District of Columbia. Two days later is Super Tuesday, when 16 states will hold primaries in what will be the biggest voting day of the year outside of the November election. Trump is on track to close the nomination in days.
“I've always said this has to be competitive. As long as we're competitive, as long as we show there's a place for us, I'll keep fighting,” Haley said.
