Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the former President Donald Trump addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and told the crowd he believed he was heading for a win in the South Carolina primary that evening.

“I am supposed to be there, and I’m not there,” Trump told the crowd. “If I do poorly, I’m blaming everybody in this audience. But I think we’re going to do okay.”

Polls closed at 7 p.m. in South Carolina. The AP called the race for the former president the minute polls closed, based on AP surveys of Republican primary voters in South Carolina showed all signs of a rout. 

By 8:30, Trump was leading Nikki Haley in her home state by more than 20 points, the former president capturing 60 percent of the vote share to Haley’s 40. The polls had the former president winning by an average of 23 points and capturing approximately 60 percent of the vote.

In remarks to her supporters, Haley reiterated her belief that she is the woman to beat Biden in November.