Where will Nikki Haley’s supporters go now that she dropped out?

Going into Super Tuesday, many Nikki Haley supporters saw her campaign as their last hope — excited by her pitch to be a new generational leader for the Republican Party and sold on her argument that she would easily defeat President Biden in a general election.

But after a final round of crushing defeats on Tuesday — this time in 14 states, only winning Vermont — Haley dropped out, raising the question of where her supporters will turn now that former president Donald Trump has no major opponents left on his path to becoming the Republican nominee.

Recent polling from Quinnipiac University found that about half of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters who supported Haley would vote for Trump, while 37 percent would vote for Biden. Twelve percent said they would abstain, vote for someone else or hadn’t yet decided what to do.

Haley ran as Trump’s loudest and most visible Republican antagonist, and it was a core part of the former U.N. ambassador’s appeal among many of her supporters. But even some of her most enthusiastic fans said they will vote for the Republican nominee no matter what. Others, though, are wrestling with how to vote this fall and wondering whether there’s a place for them in Trump’s GOP.

The Washington Post spoke to nearly 40 Haley voters in four Super Tuesday states about how they would vote in a Biden-Trump rematch, a prospect that often elicited groans or hands thrown up in disappointment. Here’s what they said about why they backed her and how they plan to vote in the general election.

Undecided

Trump has “worn me out, frankly. I’m tired of everything becoming about him. … Really, I think the turning point was January 6 and the lead-up to that, and he lost me then and I’ve never looked back.”

— Tom Kim, 61, Centennial, Colo.

Voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 but isn’t sure whom he would support in a Biden-Trump rematch.

Confronted by an unwanted Biden-Trump rematch, some Haley supporters are still weighing whether to break ranks with the GOP, write in Haley’s name, or sit out the election entirely. Several said they’re holding out hope that an independent candidate — perhaps even a rebranded Haley — will swoop into the race and give them an alternative to channel their frustrations with both major-party candidates, or that a legal or health problem for either nominee will result in a last-minute opening.

“I really think we can’t afford to have Biden or Trump. ... If Trump gets elected, he’s going to do what he said he was going to do — go after everybody. It will paralyze the government.”

— Ann Trudeau, 84, Aurora, Colo.

Voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and would consider a third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I voted for Trump, and I stand by my vote in the last two elections. But I wouldn’t be proud to tell someone that I voted for him, whereas I would be very proud to stand up and say that I voted for Haley.”

— Lacey Copitzky, 25, Provo, Utah

Voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is torn on voting for Trump or writing in Haley in 2024.

“If the Republican Party is going towards Donald Trump, I will never vote Republican again in my life.”

— Garrett Helgesen, 31, Centerville, Utah

Voted for independent candidate Evan McMullin in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Plans to vote for Haley in the general unless there’s a viable third-party candidate.

Voting for Trump

“I was a supporter of Donald Trump, but the reason I switched … he sticks his foot in his mouth too much. ... I think we need a change. We need something different, something fresh. ... I will support the Republican nominee. No way I can have Biden in there again. I just can’t.”

— Shona LaSalle, 55, Burnsville, Minn.

Plenty of Haley supporters are resolute Republicans who are disenchanted with Trump, but not enough to defect to Biden. In November, they intend to vote Republican down the ticket, even though all said they would prefer Haley over Trump, and many voiced serious concerns about Trump’s character, mental fitness and indictments.

“It’s the greater of two evils. You’ve got Biden who physically cannot speak. … He’s not mentally there, whereas Trump is at least able to function.”

— Joe Young, 26, Provo, Utah

Voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

“I think [Trump is] so irrational and, really, very frightening. I think that if he allowed this January 6 thing to take place, he could try to take over the next time if he doesn’t win this one. I just think he’s dishonest and I don’t want that — but I think Biden is, too. … I definitely won’t vote for Biden. I will have to vote for Trump.”

— Micki Stout, 80, Richmond

Voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

“I’m 100 percent Republican. I have to vote for the package of issues that I believe in strongly.”

— Connie Schlundt, 60, Eden Prairie, Minn.

Voting for Biden

“I worked in Congress when Jan. 6 happened. … That was a bad day and I’d already been really upset with [Trump] before that, but that kind of sealed the deal. … I wouldn’t say I’m excited about [Biden], just because I’m a little worried about his health. I believe he’s a good man, and that means a lot.”

— Elizabeth Rasmussen, 29, Lehi, Utah

Voted for McMullin in 2016 and Biden in 2020.

Some Haley voters said they’re ready to cast a ballot for Biden, including several who voted for Trump in the past two presidential races. They include lifelong Republicans who were appalled by Trump’s behavior in office and his role in the Capitol riot, as well as never-Trump independents who admired Haley’s gubernatorial and foreign policy experience. None expressed excitement for Biden, with a majority citing his age as a top concern, but they said that they were willing to back him to try to prevent a second Trump term.

“I voted for Biden last time because I was sick of Trump. But I’ve been disappointed in him with how he’s handling the economy and the border. But if Trump’s got all this baggage and all these legal issues, how is he going to be able to do the job when he’s got all that going on?”

— Cindy Siler, 66, Smith Mountain Lake, Va.

Voted for Biden in 2020 and would vote for Biden again in 2024.

“I don’t know if I can identify as a Republican if or when Trump is the nominee. I have no intention of voting for him if he’s the nominee. … I’d vote for [Biden] begrudgingly. I don’t want to have to do it but if I have to, I will — just to send a message that Trump’s bad. He can’t be anywhere near the White House again.”

— Nick Gambill, 21, Chester, Va.

Will be voting in a presidential election for the first time.