Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, declined to endorse anyone in the 2024 presidential election after Nikki Haley dropped out of the race Wednesday.
Haley suspended her campaign after winning only Vermont's GOP presidential primary on Super Tuesday and losing 11 other races to former President Donald Trump.
Collins, who had supported Haley, told The Independent on Wednesday, "I wish she [Haley] hadn't" ended her campaign. Collins didn't endorse Trump or President Joe Biden.
Collins previously said Haley was "extremely well-qualified to serve as our first female president," and that the former South Carolina governor "has the energy, intellect, and temperament that we need to lead our country in these very tumultuous times."
Haley noted in her concession speech on Wednesday that "In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee when our party convention meets in July. I congratulate him and wish him well," but she did not endorse him.
"It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him," she said. "And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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