As she had promised voters, Nikki Haley stayed in the 2024 Presidential race until Super Tuesday, but she gained far fewer votes than Donald Trump in most states. When she dropped out, Haley only had 96 of the 1,215 delegates a candidate needs to win the nomination.
Despite losing her home state of South Carolina, her campaign journey was not without its successes. She won the primary in the District of Colombia with 62.8% and Vermont with 50.2%. Specifically, Haley’s victory in Vermont demonstrates that former President Donald Trump attracts less interest from Independents and the more moderate Republicans. He still has significant work to do to pull the GOP together before elections in November which will be a Biden/Trump faceoff. Biden also has a way to go in convincing the majority of the Democratic party that he is fit for another term in office.
Additionally, Haley has not yet endorsed Trump, and there is no indication that she will. Although both Republicans, they stand separate on a variety of issues, including Trump’s ability to succeed as president if elected in November. In fact, her campaign targeted voters who were not satisfied with either Trump’s or Biden’s time in office. Her campaign focused heavily on the fact that she is younger and more realistic than the other candidates.
Also, a main draw towards her campaign was her ethnicity and gender. Haley’s parents were both born and raised in India before immigrating to Canada and then the United States. They eventually landed in South Carolina and both her parents became US citizens. Haley was born and raised in South Carolina where her family faced discrimination for their Indian heritage and Sikh religious practices. A lot of immigrant families and people from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds connected with her because of her family’s story and some people also supported her because she would be the first female President of the US. Although we will not see Haley elected as the first female president in November, this election is still making history in a different way: it is the first time two candidates that have both served for a term as president are running against each other.
Since her withdrawal from the race, Nikki Haley has not publicly announced her future plans, although it is likely she will stay in politics. There is some speculation that this campaign was to set her up for a run in the 2028 Presidential election. If so, she accomplished establishing a name for herself on the national stage and building a strong network of donors with her run this cycle.
Sources and More Information:
- “Trump or Biden: Who will Nikki Haley’s supporters back in November election?” https://bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68483834.
- “Nikki Haley wins the Vermont Republican primary,” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/nikki-haley-wins-vermont-republican-primary-rcna140975.
- “Nikki Haley’s campaign had cash left over as her primary run ended,” https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/20/nikki-haleys-campaign-had-cash-left-over-as-her-primary-run-ended-00148206.
- “What is Nikki Haley’s Plan,” https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4505652-what-is-nikki-haleys-plan/.
