Somebody should have had a stopwatch on Nikki Haley as she came out on the stage after losing the New Hampshire primary to Donald Trump. Records for the 50-metre dash in high heels were surely broken as she scrambled towards the microphone. But she had good reason to get out early. At that moment, the major news networks were predicting that she would finish just 6 per cent behind Trump, which made the result something of a mild upset. She was within striking distance of the man who was supposed to have had the Republican nomination all wrapped up.