Well, sure, theoretically anyone has a chance.
Nikki Haley, Former U.N. Ambassador, and former South Carolina Governor, officially launched her 2024 presidential campaign today with a social media video release. Despite previous statements that she would defer running if Donald Trump chose to run again, it doesn’t look like she’s being scared off by her former White House boss.
As the New York Times reports on the announcement, the early declaration of her campaign is likely a nod to the uphill climb of fundraising that awaits any candidate hoping to seriously challenge Trump:
By announcing early, Ms. Haley, 51, who called for “generational change” in her party, seized an opportunity for a head start on fund-raising and to command a closer look from potential Republican primary voters, whose support she needs if she is to rise from low single digits in early polls of the G.O.P. field.
She made the announcement in a video, vowing to take on adversaries both foreign and domestic.
“Some people look at America and see vulnerability. The socialist left sees an opportunity to rewrite history. China and Russia are on the march. They all think we can be bullied, kicked around,” Ms. Haley said. “You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”
Here’s the Haley announcement video out this morning on YouTube that makes the case for her candidacy:
On paper, Haley is an impressive figure in her own right. She successfully governed South Carolina before going on to join the Trump administration as Ambassador to the United Nations. She’s a good speaker and seems genuine in her delivery.
Haley offers a solid Reagan-esque campaign platform of embracing conservative ideas with a slightly new twist against the left-wing Washington establishment and also pointed out that Republicans haven’t done so well with the popular vote in recent elections. Is Haley the candidate to change that? It’s going to be a question of fundraising and whether she can overcome the perception that she’s actually running for vice president.
There’s a great deal of mistrust within the MAGA wing of the party against Haley that she appears to be breaking hard with her former boss in calling for the “new generation of leaders” coming from the GOP. Whether that’s a reference purely to age or a statement against Trump’s ambition to run for another term remains to be seen.
Then again, maybe Haley entering the race is a scheme to actually help Trump. According to some recent polling, if the race is Trump versus DeSantis, the former President might have a difficult time. Add more candidates to the field, however, and the 2024 GOP nomination looks like Trump’s to lose:
As the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley prepares to announce a run for president, a new poll found that just one additional candidate in the 2024 Republican primary will be enough to split the vote and keep Donald Trump ahead of Ron DeSantis, his only current close rival.
The Yahoo News/YouGov poll gave DeSantis, the Florida governor, a 45%-41% lead over Trump head-to-head. Similar scenarios in other polls have prompted increasing attacks on DeSantis by Trump – and deflections by DeSantis.
Yahoo News reported: “In a hypothetical three-way match-up, Haley effectively plays the spoiler, attracting 11% of Republicans and Republican-leaners while DeSantis’s support falls by roughly the same amount (to 35%), leaving Trump with more votes than either of them” at 38%.
Trump should welcome as many candidates as possible if he wants to have a shot at winning amid a splintered field as he did in 2016.
Haley may soon be joined in the race by Sen. Tim Scott, another native South Carolinian.
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