Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley is suspending her bid for the Republican presidential nomination, according to CBS News sources familiar with the matter.
Haley is to deliver remarks to the press Wednesday morning in Charleston, in her home state of South Carolina.
Sources with direct knowledge of Haley’s planned remarks tells CBS News she will not endorse former President Donald Trump during her remarks. However, CBS News confirms that she will encourage Trump to “earn the support” of her Republican backers and independent voters who favored her during the GOP primary.
Two sources close to Haley say she is eager to remain part of the GOP conversation, is proud of being the last contender standing against Trump and is not ruling out anything moving forward. Her top allies believe her run cements her as the standard bearer for traditional Republican values, especially with the looming exit of Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down as Senate minority leader and not running for reelection.
The news comes just hours after Trump won commanding victories across nearly all the states holding Republican nominating contests on Super Tuesday, according to CBS News projections. Exit polls showed Trump leading Haley among broad segments of the GOP electorate, with voters saying immigration and the economy were their most important issues.
Haley denied Trump a clean sweep of the Super Tuesday contests with a victory in Vermont’s Republican primary, just her second win of the primary season.
Trump is on track to reach the necessary 1,215 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination next week.
The news of Haley dropping out was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
— Nidia Cavazos, Robert Costa, Fin Gomez, Caitlin Huey-Burns contributed to this story
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