It's official: former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced that she will run in the Republican Party primaries with the hope of being chosen to run for president in the 2024 elections.
She announced her candidacy in a video that she posted to her Twitter feed. Haley pointed out the country's economic problems and said that after the midterm election results, the GOP needs new leadership now more than ever:
Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. That has to change.
The former governor also took the opportunity to get ahead of the other hopefuls by raising funds for her campaign. She is expected to give more details about her candidacy in Charleston, South Carolina, where an official campaign launch event will be held.
Get excited! Time for a new generation.
Let’s do this! 👊 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BD5k4WY1CP
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 14, 2023
Even though she said she wouldn't run, she's now Trump's first opponent
Haley's official candidacy makes her Donald Trump's first opponent for the Republican presidential primaries. Several GOP members are expected to run, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, among others.
Her nomination is proof that her plans have changed. Two years ago, Haley stated that she would not compete against her former boss Donald Trump in the race for the White House. She made it clear that if the former president ran, she would not. However, in the official video of her candidacy, the former governor pointed out, among other things, the need for a "generational change" in the party, which could refer to Trump's age (76). The New York Times said:
A subtle move that will likely leave her as the only formal Republican challenger to former President Donald J. Trump for many weeks, if not months, while other potential 2024 rivals bide their time.
"I've never lost an election, and I'm not about to start now"
Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants. She was the youngest governor and the first woman from a racial minority in the country to be elected to that office in South Carolina in 2010. During her time in office, the state's unemployment rate reached its lowest level in 15 years. She was re-elected with 56% of the vote in 2014 and chosen by Trump in 2016 as ambassador to the United Nations. In a November 2022 speech, Haley said:
I have won difficult primaries and difficult general elections (...) I have been the underdog on every occasion. When people underestimate me, it's always fun. But I've never lost an election, and I'm not about to start now.
Trump's response: "Do what your heart dictates"
Former President Donald Trump mentioned receiving a call from Haley recently. The former governor told him that she was considering running for the White House. According to CNN, he said:
I talked to her for a while and told her: 'Look, do what your heart dictates if you want to run' (...) She has said publicly that 'I would never run against my president, he was a great president'.
Katon Dawson, a former GOP chairman in South Carolina, claimed that Trump has solid support among a third of the party's voters. However, that means there is a chance Haley could beat other Republicans and even succeed in attracting Trump supporters as an alternative to the former president:
It takes a lot of guts to be the first (...) It takes a lot of courage, and Nikki has that kind of courage.
