Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is vying for a strong showing in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday. Haley, who finished third in the Iowa caucuses, aims to do better in New Hampshire, where polls show her closing in on current favorite, former President Donald Trump. The more moderate Republican primary electorate in the state is expected to favor Haley’s bid. However, she stopped short of saying she needs to defeat Trump in the Granite State primary while speaking at a CNN town hall in New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.
Haley recently faced questions about the Republican Party being racist, after an MSNBC host wondered whether Haley could win the GOP nomination as a woman of color. Haley responded by saying that America has “never been a racist country.” During the CNN town hall, she stood by her answer but doubled down, saying that America was founded on the idea that all men are created equal. She acknowledged the country’s history of legal racism, including slavery, but maintained that the intent was to do the right thing from the start.
Although Haley experienced some racism growing up in rural South Carolina, her parents instilled in her that those experiences wouldn’t define her potential achievements. Unlike many others who suffer from national self-loathing, Haley maintained that the US is not “racist” but “blessed.” She pointed out that, despite its imperfections, the country has made progress in making today better than yesterday. Haley said telling children that America is a racist country means they don’t have a chance.
Haley, one of the first female minority governors in the country, later became Trump’s US ambassador to the United Nations. She stated at the CNN town hall that her “personal goal is to be strong” in the New Hampshire primary. She declined to comment on how she would approach Trump in the event that they meet in the primary. She said that they shouldn’t get into name-calling and insults with each other. Haley also emphasized that she would uphold the conservative values that make the Republican Party better than Democrats.
In Iowa, Haley was 32 points behind Trump and two points behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, finishing third in the caucuses. Since then, she has been visiting New Hampshire in an attempt to gain traction among the more moderate Republicans. The state’s primary electorate is less conservative than Iowa’s and more welcoming to candidates like Haley. Currently, Trump leads the race with 38% of the support, while Haley trails behind at 4%, according to RealClearPolitics.
Haley’s strategy so far has been to stay relatively unknown while quietly building momentum. However, if she wishes to compete with Republicans like Trump and DeSantis, she needs to make herself known publicly and convey her message more effectively. In interviews, she has expressed that she hopes to bring unity to the Republican Party by not resorting to name-calling and instead maintaining grace and composure.
