COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley is perhaps the most high-profile Republican in the nation to refuse to align with and support Donald Trump's presidential bid.
It's unclear how long that will last.
Some allies believe she may be forced to endorse him before the November election to avoid permanently alienating the Republican base. Despite Trump's recent statements to the contrary, some doubt that Haley will reappear on Trump's short list of running mates in the coming months.
But if Ms. Haley defers to Mr. Trump, as many of her Republican critics have done, she also risks destroying her own coalition of independents, moderates, and anti-Trump Republicans. They're still showing up to support her in her deeply obscure primary campaign. -From red Indiana to deep blue Maryland.
Her decisions in the coming months will be closely watched not only by her supporters but also by allies of Mr. Trump and President Joe Biden. What she decides, and whether her coalition follows suit, will have significant implications for this year's general election and her future as a leading Republican whose brand appeals to many outside her party. It is possible to give
“Nikki Haley might be the one who unites us,” said Talia Floras, 62, a retail store owner in Nashua, New Hampshire. She was a lifelong Democrat before voting for Haley in the state's primary in January.
However, Floras also warns: “Nikki Haley is in a good place for me right now. But if she follows Trump, I'm done.”
People close to Haley, 52, a former governor and ambassador to the United Nations, say it is unclear what she will do next.
Haley will vote to win, but Biden will be the only challenger.
Haley and Trump have not spoken in recent months. A person with direct knowledge of Haley's private conversations, which included the period after she withdrew from the Republican primary in early March, said she was not authorized to speak publicly about their contents. It is said that there was no such thing.
And while some Republicans who supported Ms. Haley will no doubt naturally revert to Ms. Trump, the Biden campaign is trying to win over her supporters, whom it sees as true swing voters. There is.
Mr. Biden's team is secretly forming a “Republicans for Biden group” that will eventually have a full-time staff and reach hundreds of thousands of Haley voters in each battleground state, according to people familiar with the plan. He plans to focus on
The Democratic president has not made his intentions a secret.
Biden issued a statement thanking Haley for giving her the courage to challenge Trump, just minutes after she withdrew from the primary in March.
“Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not want Nikki Haley supporters. Let me be clear: there is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said at the time.
Meanwhile, President Trump announced in late January that he would permanently ban Haley's donors from his “Make America Great Again” campaign. Mr. Trump has refrained from attacking her since withdrawing from the race, but he has also refrained from expressing goodwill in public, as he has done for defeated rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. do not have.
As part of Biden's continued support for Haley's coalition, her campaign late last month echoed Trump's main nicknames for Haley: “Birdbrain” and “She's not presidential talent.” The company released a digital ad that highlighted frequent personal attacks against Ms. Haley, including suggestions.
Asked about President Trump's lack of outreach to Haley and her supporters, senior adviser Jason Miller declined to mention her, instead pointing to Biden's support for Black Americans, Latinos and young voters. He questioned the strength of his coalition.
“The reality is that while the Republican Party is united behind President Trump, the Democratic Party is shattered by Joe Biden's disastrous policies on issues like inflation and the border,” Miller said. .
Few expect Haley to fully support a Democratic president. Such a decision would make it difficult, if not impossible, for her to win in a future Republican presidential primary if she decides to run again.
Instead, Biden's allies believe that Haley and other prominent Republican Trump critics will remain silent or focus on the stakes of the election for democracy rather than directly praising Biden. I hope that they will express their support.
If Biden's team acquires prominent Republicans, it will take several more to announce them to maximize their impact as voters pay close attention to the November election. It is likely to take a week.
Republicans who support Biden speak out
Former Georgia lieutenant governor Jeff Duncan, a Republican who supported Haley in the Republican primary, formally endorsed Biden earlier this month. He said in an interview that he made his decision before speaking with the Biden campaign, but after Duncan announced his decision, Biden called him directly to thank him.
Mr. Duncan did not rule out taking a prominent role in Republican Biden support groups or speaking at the Democratic National Convention this summer, as former Ohio Gov. John Kasich did four years ago. .
Ms. Duncan hopes that Ms. Haley ultimately does not support Mr. Trump, as many of Mr. Trump's prominent Republican critics have done.
“I feel like it would be a short-term sugarcoat just to gain support within the Republican Party,” Duncan said of the possibility of Haley endorsing Trump. She said, “She has the right to do what she wants. She's clearly making political calculations for everyone. But at some point, where does she draw her line?” Do you?”
The list of major Republican politicians ready to stand up to Trump in 2024 is extremely short.
Even those who described Trump as a dangerous threat to democracy, like New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, ultimately support him. Sununu was one of Haley's leading national delegates during the campaign, but declined repeated requests for comment about her political future. And DeSantis, once Trump's chief primary rival and another front-runner in early 2028, is now planning to raise money for Trump's general election campaign. There is.
Hailey is back in the public eye
Haley was just beginning to emerge from her post-operational seclusion and spent time reuniting with her family, especially her husband, a military man who had recently returned from a nearly year-long tour overseas.
She is scheduled to give a speech on foreign policy later this week at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, where she has agreed to serve as the Walter P. Stern Chair — this is 2024. This will be his first public speech since the end of the 2018 election campaign.
And last week, Haley gathered behind closed doors with dozens of donors and allies in South Carolina to thank the coalition, largely ignoring Trump. She did not encourage attendees to support his campaign.
Simone Levinson of Haley Bandler, who attended the private meeting, said there remains a hunger among Republicans for the next generation of people who can communicate well and build consensus.
“There are very strong indications that she continues to resonate with millions of Americans,” said Levinson, who is based in Florida.
her federation sends a message
In fact, without any formal organization, advertising, or even personal encouragement, Haley voters are likely to continue their low-profile presidential campaign until the end of June, even though Trump is still the only candidate remaining. He continues to participate in the primaries.
Haley received more than 21% of the vote in last week's Maryland presidential primary. That comes after posting similar results in Indiana and Arizona the previous week, just weeks after leaving the race.
“She's articulate and intelligent, which Trump doesn't have,” said Kathy Schoen, an independent voter and former school psychologist in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, who cast her primary vote for Haley last week. Ta.
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Floras said she will reluctantly vote for Biden this fall because she can't stand Trump. However, she expects Haley to run again in 2028.
But if Haley relents and supports Trump before the fall election, her feelings may change.
“I would be really disappointed if she didn't stand up to him,” Floras said. “She would die if I did that.”
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People's newspaper reported from New York. Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writer John Lavie in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.
