After home-state humbling, the question now is: What’s Nikki Haley running for?

One GOP insider-analyst said it’s hard to imagine the party turning, even in a pinch, to a candidate seen as an avatar of the pre-Trump, less-nationalist GOP.

“That reflects a misunderstanding of the Republican electorate,” said James Wallner, an author and political scientist at South Carolina’s Clemson University, and former staffer to several high-profile Washington Republicans.

“The Republican electorate is not aligned with Nikki Haley on really important issues that are high on the public agenda right now. And given that, I find it very unlikely that they would just turn to Nikki Haley all of a sudden if they can’t vote for Trump.”

Haley’s staunch support for Ukraine and U.S. military allies, and pro-trade stance, means she’s running against the current in her party, he said.

He added she can try running for as long as donors give her money, but “it will become increasingly hard to make an argument [for donations].”