Nikki Haley on her way to Super Tuesday: age or vision?

By Raquel López-Portillo Maltos

Just when everyone thought it couldn't get any lower, this Sunday, U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley became the first woman to win a Republican primary election after garnering 62.9 percent of the vote (to Donald Trump's 33.2 percent) in the District of Columbia. While this does not mean that her chances of securing the nomination increase, the event coupled with some of her recent statements shed new light to answer what more than one is wondering: why is Haley still in the race and what does she have to gain?

There are several factors that highlight the importance of their role in this election. While these primaries are predictable in terms of the candidates who will be elected, the data they yield are useful to identify the weaknesses they will face next November. In this sense, the fact that Haley has only won one primary so far does not mean that support for her has been zero. In some states she has managed to secure from 20 to 40 percent of the vote.