Each day I wake up to another text from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, asking me to help “Make America Normal Again,” but after being kicked out of one of her campaign events into sub-zero temperatures, I won’t deign to respond. Although, if I donated to Haley, at least I wouldn’t have to question whether my donation was being used for legal fees, something donors to former President Donald Trump certainly need to worry about — to the tune of $50 million.

It may be time to let go of my grudge, though. Haley’s embarrassing loss Tuesday in the Nevada primary to “None of these candidates” by a higher margin than her total percentage of votes seems like punishment enough. At least that vote didn’t mean anything, but the Nevada caucus Thursday will inevitably leave Trump with the state’s delegates because Haley isn’t even on the ballot. We can’t forget about the GOP caucus in the Virgin Islands this week, either, even though there are only four delegates at stake.

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Trump currently has 33 delegates and Haley has 17, but to win the nomination, a candidate needs 1,215 delegates at the convention. Only a tiny fraction of the total delegates at stake have been distributed, but many are already hailing Trump as the winner of the primary; a Republican National Committee member even submitted a draft resolution to the party seeking an early declaration of Trump as the party nominee.

If that doesn’t make a ton of sense to you, don’t worry, I didn’t know how delegates or party nominations worked until I was required to read about it for a class. Essentially, when you cast your vote in one of the two major political party primaries, you are not directly voting for the candidate you choose: you are voting to award your state party’s convention representatives — delegates — to that candidate.

In the Democratic Party, delegates are given proportionally based on the percentage of the vote each candidate gains. Candidates need at least 15% of the vote to qualify for state delegates, and must win a majority of delegates to win the party nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August.

GOP candidates, however, face different rules for different states, which allow for winner-take-all and majority-take-all systems. The RNC mandates that states voting prior to March 15 must allocate delegates proportionally, and only states voting after March 15 can use a winner-take-all system — which will greatly disadvantage Haley, even if the gap between her and Trump narrows.

Haley says she is determined to stay in the race, even implying on Saturday Night Live that the promise won’t be swayed by the loss of her home state — which seems likely with the RealClearPolitics Poll Average showing Trump ahead by around 30 points in the Palmetto State.

The question everyone seems to be asking is, “Why is Haley staying in the race if Trump has such a clear lead among GOP voters?” I’m no political expert, but I’d say it’s partially because Trump could be a convicted felon by the time of the general election.

On Feb. 6, Trump was denied immunity in special counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election fraud case by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Trump’s legal team argued that a former president could not be held accountable for actions taken while in office, and most experts expect Trump to appeal this plea to the Supreme Court.

The outcome of the federal Jan. 6 case will certainly be postponed by Trump’s appeal, but two of his cases are already scheduled for trial — prior to the GOP convention. Trump’s hush-money case in New York is scheduled for trial on March 25, and the Florida classified documents case is scheduled to begin trial on May 20.

While I doubt Haley will be able to win the GOP nomination on her own — that is, without divine legal interference — I see no reason for her to drop out of the race yet (besides saving face, which she has managed thus far). As long as she has the funds to keep campaigning, which she does, collecting as many delegates as she can may put her in a good position if Trump is convicted — or taken off the ballot, in the case of an insurrection conviction.

The next few states to vote — and the 16 on Super Tuesday — are Haley’s best chance to gain those delegates before the winner-take-all states lock in delegates for Trump. Maybe Trump’s conviction is a pipe dream, but the thought of a general election Biden versus Trump face-off sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me, so let a girl dream, and go vote.

Kate McQuarrie is a senior writing about the 2024 election cycle as it unfolds. She is also an opinion editor at the Daily Trojan. Her column, “The Ballot Box,” runs every other Thursday.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the Virgin Islands are awarded no Republican Party delegates. The article was updated at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 to reflect that the Virgin Islands have four Republican delegates. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.