The former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador said she was suspending her campaign. Not ending, not concluding, not terminating — suspending.

“I am filled with gratitude for the outpouring of support we’ve received from across our great country,” she said. “But the time has now come to suspend my campaign.”

Haley is hardly the first candidate to reach for the term. There are a number of reasons candidates do so. And one of the big ones has a lot to do with money.

Under federal election law, a candidate who has filed to run for office technically remains one until after the election. But by declaring that they are “suspending” a campaign, a candidate is signaling to donors — both to their loyal supporters as well as those who are backing their rivals — that they are shifting to the next phase. After a spirited campaign, that often includes the need to retire outstanding debts.

But the use of the term “suspend” also adheres to one of the longstanding axioms of politics: Never close a door, never rule anything out.

This year, especially, there may be good reason for invoking the phrase as Donald Trump, the sole remaining Republican contender, navigates 91 criminal charges against him.

Should Trump be convicted, Haley could just as easily “unsuspend” her campaign.

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While Lee’s support rate increased by 4 percentage points from the previous poll conducted the week before, Yoon’s support rate decreased by 4 percentage points.

Such surveys have shown that the gap between rival candidates is close, especially in the capital area including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

Final variables

While it is hard to predict the outcome of the upcoming election based on opinion polls, several final variables remain.

The matter of fielding a single opposition candidate through negotiations between the PPP and minor opposition conservative People’s Party, in particular, has been at the center of attention.

People’s Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo made an official proposal to PPP candidate Yoon two weeks ago to field a single candidate.

A week after, however, Ahn withdrew his proposal, citing the differences between the parties over the method of fielding a single candidate. While Ahn insisted on holding a “national primary” between Ahn and Yoon, the PPP opposed it, calling on Ahn to make “a courageous decision,” which was seen as an indirect call to back Yoon’s single candidacy.

On Sunday, a day before the National Election Commission (NEC) prints the official ballots, Yoon held an emergency press briefing at the PPP’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido, to make a final bid to Ahn to field a single candidate.

Yoon said the PPP made every effort to reach an agreement with the People’s Party, holding many rounds of working-level negotiations, represented by Rep. Chang Je-won of the PPP and Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People’s Party.

Yoon said the two sides had come within a whisker of reaching an agreement, including discussions on the details of a final meeting of Yoon and Ahn, but the People’s Party at the last moment notified the PPP of a breakdown in negotiations.

“There was a request from Ahn’s side for me to hold a press conference today to make an open proposal to Ahn to hold a meeting, which I accepted. The negotiation representatives of the two parties then agreed to decide over details of the meeting including the time and place to announce them to the media,” Yoon said. “But unfortunately, the PPP and I received a final notification from Ahn and the People’s Party that the negotiations for a unified candidacy have been disrupted.”

Yoon said he explained the past process of negotiations to clarify to supporters of the conservative bloc that the PPP and Yoon have been committed to the matter of fielding a unified candidate.

“If candidate Ahn proposes to meet, I am willing to cancel other schedules to talk with him,” Yoon said, before heading to North Gyeongsang Province for campaigning.

But Ahn and Rep. Lee of the People’s Party blamed Yoon and the PPP for holding the press conference and accused them of making unilateral claims to avoid their responsibility for disrupting negotiations.

“I’ve reached a conclusion that the proposal from Yoon this morning was not worth considering,” Ahn said.

He added that Yoon and the PPP made a false claim that holding a national primary had not been on the negotiating table, blaming them for showing no respect to their counterpart.

Meanwhile, Ahn carried on with his regional campaigning in South Jeolla Province.

Besides the issue of a unified conservative candidate, other variables, including a final TV debate among the presidential candidates, slated for March 2, and who will win more support from swing voters including the centrists, are expected to play a key role in the election outcome.

On the same day, Lee of the DPK continued campaigning in South Gyeongsang Province and Sim Sang-Jung, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party campaigned on Jeju Island.

Further details of the polls are available on the websites of the survey agencies or of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

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For both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-Myung and main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Seok-youl, winning over younger generations and female voters are critical tasks, amid unprecedentedly low public support for the contenders.

A recent Gallup poll identifies more than 30 percent of Koreans as swing voters. Although 57 percent of respondents said that the next presidential election should see regime change, it does not mean that Yoon would get that full support. The same pollster showed Yoon at 24 percent support while Lee sat at 26 percent.

For Democratic Party candidate Lee, winning back the hearts of young voters will prove critical. Young voters, who have traditionally favored the progressive bloc, have in recent years turned a cold shoulder to the ruling party over issues such as the Moon Jae-in administration’s employment and real estate policies, as well as the scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

Lee also needs to gain support from female voters, who have negatively evaluated him for abusive language toward his sister-in-law and an alleged affair with an actor. During the party’s primary, he lagged behind his rival, Lee Nak-yon, in women’s approval ratings.

Yoon also has not curried the favor of young people. Since Yoon beat Rep. Hong Joon-Pyo, who fares better among younger voters, in the primary on Friday, there has been backlash from young party members who suggest they may leave the party that is now “only for the old.” Some disappointed young supporters sarcastically said they would vote for Lee and then leave Korea.

The biggest challenge for Yoon is how to absorb Hong’s support base and win the hearts of young people. Party leader Lee Joon-Seok sought to dispel such concerns, saying Saturday, “I met Yoon several times and thought that he had the power to appeal to the younger generation. If we work in that direction, worries will disappear.”

Both candidates Lee and Yoon also need to resolve several allegations and scandals they have been mired in.

Lee is embroiled in suspicions over preferential treatment related to the property development of Daejang-dong in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Yoo Dong-kyu, former head of Seongnam Urban Development Corp. and a close aide to Lee, has been arrested on allegations related to Daejang-dong. Lee’s closest aide Chung Jin-sang was found to have spoken to Yoo by phone right before authorities raided the latter’s home.

Yoon is also not free from judicial risks. He remains mired in alleged political meddling ahead of last year’s general elections. His mother-in-law and wife are also alleged to have been involved in criminal activities such as stock price manipulation. The ruling party has raised suspicions that Yoon covered the alleged bribery of former Yongsan Tax Office head Yoon Woo-jin, brother of Yoon Dae-jin, who is a close aide to Yoon Seok-youl.

As the two struggling candidates are wrestling with allegations and low approval, unifying with other influential candidates has emerged as a vital answer. The ruling and opposition parties are courting former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Kim Dong-Yeon and People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, respectively.

Ahn declared his third bid for the presidency last week. When asked about the possibility of unification and solidarity with the People Power Party, Ahn refrained from answering directly, saying, “I have already told you that I would change the administration,” though he still hinted at the possibility.

The Democratic Party is courting independent candidate Kim. Party leader Song Young-Gil met with Kim last week and mentioned the Korean four-character idiom “Eumsoosawon,” meaning not to forget the source. Kim served as the first deputy prime minister for economic affairs of the Moon Jae-in government.

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