The moment of Nikky Haley, the rising candidate in the Republican race against Donald Trump

2023-11-08 03:11:16

When ‘The New York Times’ published this weekend a survey carried out together with Siena College looking at the 2024 presidential electionsthe headlines, and the alarms among Democrats, focused on the superiority what Donald Trump exhibited in front of Joe Biden in five out of six key hinge states, with leads of four points in Pennsylvania, five in Arizona and Michigan, six in Georgia and 10 in Nevada. But in that survey there was other extremely significant numbers: Nikki Haley’s.

The former governor of South Carolina, What was in the Trump Administration? ambassador to the United Nations and who now aspires to snatch the nomination of the Republican Partyhas in four of the five states still better numbers than the former president in that hypothetical scenario of a duel against Biden. He even led the Democrat, and by 13 points, in Wisconsin, the only place where Biden won (by a mere 2%) over Trump.

These percentages are of little use at this moment, one year before the elections and when Trump’s nomination seems hopeless, which has an advantage in the internal struggle of more than 40 points over its main rivals, and an average of 30 in the first duels of the primaries. but they show the potential, and the moment, that Haley lives.

The moment of Nikky Haley, the rising candidate in the Republican race against Donald Trump

The only woman among conservative candidates step on the heels now Ron DeSantisthe governor of Florida what For a few months he seemed destined to take over from Trump but whose campaign has gone losing luster and bellows. Gain followers, attention and donors, especially those who, with donations of more than 200 dollars, have made the His campaign coffers have almost 19 million dollars. And in Iowa, whose caucuses open the primary race, he has risen 10 points in the most respected local poll to match DeSantis.

The debates

Some of the air that Haley has caught has arrived in the debates. Trump has strategically decided do not participate in the two held so far nor in the third, which takes place this Wednesday night in Miamii, where only she and DeSantis will be, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott and Chris Christie after the abandonment of the career of former vice president Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s inability to meet requirements.

Although without the favorite the impact of these discussions is more than relative, that pinch of oxygen that has been released in front of the cameras has allowed Haley raise your profile and strengthen your image, your message and your proposal. And this Wednesday everything pointed to him focusing his attacks on DeSantis, his main rival to establish himself as the best of the rest who are not Trump.

The candidate

On stage, as at campaign events, Haley exhibits her executive experience after passing six years as governor and adds the accumulated foreign policy in its two years at the UN. In this last area, she firmly maintains positions that place her unequivocally on the side of the fiercest falconseither with harsh attacks on Russia oa China or showing one unwavering support for Israel.

In social issuesmeanwhile, wraps his deeply conservative credentials in a message that on the surface it moves away from radicality dominant among Republican candidates. And in the first of the debates, for example, he appealed to the need to seek “consensus” on abortion (although as governor she signed a veto after 20 weeks of gestation that did not include exceptions nor in cases of rape or incest).

‘The New Republic’ has called her a “talented ideologue dressed in the guise of a moderate” and it is not difficult to find positions that ratify her conservatism: from support for giving civil rights to fetuses to opposition to gun control measures or saying that DeSantis’ controversial ‘don’t say gay’ law in Florida “doesn’t go far enough.”

At 51 years old Haley, who avoids relying on issues of identity, gender or the color of their skin, It is also presented as perfect for the generational relief that so many crave, on the right and on the left. In a Republican Party that has been drifting towards extremism, placing itself in form and substance at the feet of Trump, it achieves sound like a traditional moderate and more than one in the debates has described it as “the adult in the room“. And in the candidacy of this daughter of immigrants from Indiamother of two children in their twenties and with a deployed husband since summer and for a year with the National Guard in Africayou see options recover voters fleeing Trump at the polls, such as independent y women who live in residential localities neighboring large metropolises, the determinants ‘suburbs‘.

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Fear in Trump’s camp

Haley’s potential is demonstrated by the fears that wakes up not only among Democratic strategists, sino in the Trump camp. Because the former president insults her by saying that he has “a cbird’s brain“, he denounces that he is”hugely overrated“and she usually remembers that she ran against him when he said she wouldn’t do it, but in the second debate, for example, her campaign only sent one email: focused on attacking her.

Haley, for her part, walks with lead feet so as not to lose Trump’s bases but he also does not avoid questioning it, either because of the deficits and debt that skyrocketed during his mandate, because his “knees shake” in the face of Russia despite the ukrainian warfor having recently praised Hezbollah or ensuring that “with everything at stake we cannot have four years of chaos, vendettas and drama“. But it still continues to define the January 6, 2021when the assault on the Capitol occurred, as much as a “terrible day” as a precious day”.