Former Gov. Nikki Haley Launches Presidential Run—She’s First To Challenge Trump

Topline

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is running for president in the 2024 Republican primary election, she announced Tuesday, becoming the first GOP candidate to formally challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination and providing a more moderate alternative to the ex-president in the race.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi … [+] Valley, California, on October 14, 2022.

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Key Facts

Haley, who also served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, announced her candidacy in a video first released by Axios Tuesday, ahead of a planned official campaign launch on Wednesday.

She also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission formalizing her candidacy.

Haley, 51, pointed to her Indian background and childhood growing up in a racially segregated town in the campaign video, opposing the notion that the U.S. is “racist and evil” and claiming “nothing can be further from the truth.”

The governor positioned herself as an alternative to the “Washington establishment [that] has failed us over and over and over again,” noting that Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight elections and calling for a “new generation of leadership.”

Haley stressed her desire for “fiscal responsibility” and to “secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose,” attacking President Joe Biden’s “abysmal record” and “the socialist left.”

Surprising Fact

Haley previously said in April 2021 that she would not challenge Trump for the presidential nomination if he ran in 2024 and would back his bid for a second term, before changing her mind in recent months. The need for “generational change” and Trump’s age, along with the economy, weighed into her decision to ultimately run, according to the Associated Press.

Big Number

1%. That’s how many Republicans said they wanted Haley to lead the party, according to an AP-NORC poll released Tuesday, versus 22% who said DeSantis and 20% who said Trump. A Morning Consult poll of 2024 GOP contenders released Tuesday had Haley only slightly higher, with 3% of respondents backing her for president.

What To Watch For

More GOP candidates to follow suit. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is expected to launch a 2024 bid, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, while DeSantis—seen as the main Republican who could successfully challenge Trump—is reportedly “on the cusp” of deciding whether or not to run, the Hill reports. Other potential Republican challengers so far include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, with Axios noting it’s “likely” Haley will be the only female candidate in the field. The New York Times reported February 1 that many potential candidates were wary of jumping into the race too soon, not wanting to face Trump’s attacks, and instead are waiting to score legislative wins to use in the campaign—or see if Trump gets indicted.

Key Background

Haley served as South Carolina’s governor from 2011 to 2017 before joining the Trump Administration as U.N. ambassador, and gained attention during her time as governor for moves like signing a bill that removed the confederate flag from the state capitol following a mass shooting at a historically black church. Haley left the Trump Administration in 2018 reportedly on good terms with Trump, but became more critical of him after the 2020 election and the January 6 riots. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him,” Haley told Politico in February 2021, predicting he wouldn’t run for federal office again because “he’s fallen so far.” The former ambassador also opposed Congress’ second impeachment of Trump, however—saying they should “give the man a break”—and has gone back and forth on her views of the ex-president. “Every time she criticizes me, she uncriticizes me about 15 minutes later,” Trump told Vanity Fair in September 2021.