Under normal circumstances a candidate who has lost the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary will politely bow out of the presidential race. But not Nikki Haley. Unlike Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out and endorsed Trump, Haley is still persevering in her attempt to win the Republican nomination.

Some have questioned the wisdom of such actions but have failed to see the unusual and historic path Nikki Haley has to the Republican nomination and ultimately the White House.

If the U.S. Supreme Court bars Mr. Trump from running for president, then the Republican party will find itself a new nominee to run against Joe Biden. If Nikki Haley is the only other possibility, will she become the party’s nominee through default? Who knows? This is uncharted territory, but one thing is certain — Nikki Haley’s refusal to bow out of the fight shows not stupidity but great political cunning. Time will tell whether her cunning and persistence will result in a seat at the resolute desk on inauguration day.