Is it political strategy, donor pressure or perhaps hubris? Nikki Haley is vowing “the fight goes on” against Donald Trump, positioning herself as a viable option for the Republican presidential nomination in case the scandal-plagued front-runner’s campaign implodes.

Haley has gone zero for four in early contests, including an embarrassing 20-point defeat Saturday in her home state of South Carolina where she served as governor.

With her path to victory shrinking to the width of a needle’s eye, her decision not to bow out is raising questions about her endgame in a party ruled by Trump, and whether prolonging the nomination battle sets Haley up for a 2028 presidential bid.

Sandie Ellis, a 66-year-old from South Carolina’s capital Columbia, said she voted for Trump but will “absolutely” keep Haley in mind for the future.

“She is very young, and is so qualified, very brilliant,” Ellis told AFP, adding that at 52, Haley’s “got several good years” left.

Haley insists a majority of voters are opposed to a rematch between “chaos” candidate Trump and President Joe Biden, two aging men aged 77 and 81 respectively who she says are past their prime.

But analysts see Haley deciding to remain in the hunt largely in the event Trump gets laid low by his legal woes or other circumstances such as ill health.

“Haley is staying in the race because of the possibility of a conviction, not a victory,” Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told AFP.