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Is Nikki Haley about to get ‘Smoked?’
Despite a strong showing at the Jan. 10 Republican debate, the former governor of South Carolina is unlikely to win the Republican nomination.
Nikki Haley giving a speech on her campaign trail / Instagram/nikkihaley
Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley made a strong fierce presence on the Jan. 10 debate stage at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and has polled in second place in several polls.
But pundits, and her former campaign rival Chris Christie predict she will be trounced by former president Donald Trump as the primaries begin. Christie ended his campaign hours before the debate; thus Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, faced off only against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy did not appear in the debates, failing to poll at least 10 percent in 3 separate polls. He has consistently polled under 7 percent Haley and DeSantis are struggling to retain 2nd place behind Trump, who leads the Republican pack with 51 percent of the vote.
Iowa Republican voters begin the 2024 election cycle, caucusing on Jan. 15. New Hampshire voters head to the polls Jan. 23.
Shekar Narasimhan, founder of the AAPI Victory Fund, predicted to New India Abroad that the Republican nomination will be sealed up by Trump on March 5, when 15 states, including California, head to their primaries.
“I’m ambivalent about Nikki Haley. While I’m proud that a Sikh woman is on the ballot, I don’t agree with most of her policies,” said Narasimhan, a Democrat. Haley will have to come in second in Iowa and New Hampshire, he said, adding that if she doesn’t win her home state, South Carolina, in its Feb. 3 primary, she will have to end her campaign there.
“I think she’s peaked,” said Narasimhan, adding that he couldn’t imagine any Republican beating Trump for the Republican Party’s nomination.
Amar D. Amar, founder of Indian Americans for Trump, concurred. “Haley is not connecting with rural voters. And her stand on abortion is at odds with the Republican Party’s position,” he told New India Abroad. Ramaswamy will be a force to reckon with in 2028, predicted Amar.
Before formally announcing the end of his campaign, Christie could be heard saying on a live mic: “She’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it. She’s just not up to this.”
Haley has received support from prominent backers, including the billionaire Koch brothers, LinkedIn founder and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman, and billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller, among others. Haley’s Super PAC, the SFA Fund, has raised about $19 million, according to third quarter 2023 Federal Election Commission reports. She has raised an additional $14 million in individual contributions, according to her FEC report.
Haley trails both DeSantis and Trump in fundraising. On the debate stage Jan. 10, Haley chastised DeSantis for spending $50 million on chartered jets while campaigning. “I took commercial flights, and stayed at the Residence Inn,” she said, naming a budget hotel chain. “If he can’t manage his campaign finances, how can we expect him to manage the finances of America?” she queried.
DeSantis took potshots at Haley throughout the two-hour debate, broadcast on CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. He characterized her as a “mealy-mouthed politician.”
“She has not been willing to stand up and fight on behalf of conservatives,” he said. “Any time the going gets rough, Nikki Haley caves in. You need a search warrant to find her,” said DeSantis.
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