Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley laid out her vision for the 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, calling for a new generation of Republicans to come to power and revitalize the party.
“We lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. We have failed to win the confidence of the majority of Americans,” Haley told a crowd of more than 1,000 people in an open pavilion in Charleston, South Carolina. “Well, today is over. If you are tired of losing, trust the new generation.”
The event was Haley’s official campaign launch after she filed paperwork to become Donald Trump’s announced first challenger on Tuesday. Haley did not mention Trump by name once, but referred to GOP voters who are “ready to move past stale ideas and faded names.”
Haley, South Carolina’s first female governor and the first woman of color to lead the state, insisted she is well suited to the role of leading the GOP into a new era after the party lost the 2020 presidential election.
He called for mandatory term limits and “mandatory competency tests for politicians over 75,” a subtle dig at Trump and President Joe Biden, their two biggest rivals. He also called for stricter voter ID laws, stronger borders and tougher ties to China — bread-and-butter issues for the party that don’t, on the face of it, signal a good new direction for Republicans.
“America is backwards. Our future is poor. Our leaders have failed. And no one embodies that failure more than Joe Biden,” Haley said.
Haley, 51, walked with the former president. An ally and Cabinet member who once vowed not to challenge Trump in 2024, Haley found her only rival Wednesday by ignoring him. Critics accused Haley of trying to do both with the former president, and straying from her principled stance. Haley served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations for less than a year — a lifetime for a public servant in Trump’s orbit. He was praised for leaving on his own terms with his career intact.
Moments after Haley wrapped up his speech in Charleston, Trump blasted the press release with a smattering of unflattering media hits, including a link to a 2012 piece in which Haley credited Hillary Clinton with inspiring her to run for office.
Rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.), one of the Republicans who voted not to certify the results of the 2020 election for Biden, was the only speaker to acknowledge the former president. He did so diplomatically, mirroring Haley’s high-wire act.
“In 2016, President Trump is exactly what the Republican Party needs in this country … I want to thank Donald Trump for his service,” Norman said, adding that Haley is “what America needs today, a leader with “real solutions ” instead of “political rhetoric.”
Ross Ward, a former South Carolina House candidate, said he “loved” Trump in 2016 but believes he is not the right candidate now. “If you’re president, you have to work with both sides and not say something silly and ridiculous,” he said.
Haley, a former accountant, entered politics after managing the finances of her family’s clothing business. He overturned a 30-year term for a seat in the South Carolina House, and in 2010 he became the state’s youngest governor. “Nikki Haley has always been underestimated in every race and adventure she’s had,” said Katon Dawson, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley criticized “identity politics” after declaring that “America is not a racist country.”
“Every day we are told America is flawed, rotten and full of hate. Joe and [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] even saying America is racist. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Haley said.
Trump wasn’t the only Republican present at Haley’s launch. Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.) is expected to mount a presidential campaign in the coming months. Shortly after Haley teased a “special announcement” in Charleston, Scott, the Senate’s only Black Republican, announced an event with the local GOP the next day. Both Republicans then plan to go to Iowa, the state of their party’s first presidential nomination.
“Every day we are told America is flawed, rotten and full of hate. Joe and Kamala even say America is racist. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
– Nikki Haley, at the launch of her presidential campaign
The South Carolina-based political strategist, who requested anonymity because of competing loyalties, said Scott’s message was more positive and more relevant to a national electorate tired of divisiveness.
“This presidential election requires a new way of thinking and unfortunately, I don’t think Nikki has distinguished herself from Trump. She is riding on his coattails too much, and the tail is getting shorter,” said this person.
“Nikki has veered from sunny conservatism to culture war,” he said. “The midterm voters said clearly that is not the winning national message.”
At the same time, this man admitted that Haley is a skilled political operator. “Nikki Haley is always the most senior adviser. She’s probably the most politically savvy governor of South Carolina. She reads the room with Bill Clinton-level ability. She’s as good with underprivileged students as she is with billionaires.
Haley’s supporters traveled from all over the country to see her launch her campaign. Many say they have been fans for a long time. Women are especially excited about the prospect of a woman at the top of the Republican ticket.
“I like that he’s polite, firm and has integrity,” said Susan Harris, a retired accountant who traveled from Tennessee to see Haley. “Being a Republican, I am deeply saddened [in 2016]. ‘You should vote for Hillary [Clinton] because she is a woman.’ But I will not vote for someone who has no integrity. [Haley] she is a true woman.”
“I like to see the swamps drained — by men or women,” said Sabrina Parker, an occupational therapist from Georgia who chanted “Haley” signs in the audience but waited for the field to firm up before picking a favorite. candidate.