Nikki Haley has been campaigning in New Hampshire over the past couple of weeks, and after we saw her dig a massive hole for herself with a question about the Civil War, it's hard to imagine her topping that with another gaffe. But she did.
At a town hall in Milford, N.H., the former South Carolina governor told her audience, "We have an opportunity to get this right, and I know we'll get it right. I trust you. I trust every single one of you."
It was a great way to express her confidence in New Hampshire's voters, but she followed that statement up by stepping in it big-time.
"You know how to do this," she continued. "You know Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it. You know that you continue to —" she declared as the audience's laughter and applause interrupted her and she reveled in the attention. "And then my sweet state of South Carolina brings it home. That's what we do."
[Cue the annoying record scratch sound effect...]
Say what, now? What exactly does New Hampshire "correct" that Iowa "starts"? It sounds like Haley is already dismissing the results of an Iowa caucus that hasn't taken place yet. It's a slap in the face to Iowans who make their voices heard, and that slight wasn't lost on conservative leaders in the Hawkeye State.
"I trust Iowans to make their own decisions," tweeted Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa). "No 'corrections' needed!"
Rep. Skyler Wheeler (R-4th district) tweeted that Haley had "another absolute disaster on her hands" and declared that "Iowa won’t make a mistake because we won’t pick a lib like [Haley]. We actually value conservatism in our state."
Rep. John Dunwell (R-38th district) said that Haley "just keeps getting it wrong."
Related: What Nikki Haley Missed in Her Answer to the Civil War Question
"The fact that Haley makes a statement that New Hampshire 'will correct Iowa' tells me she is worried and has to spin it," tweeted Rep. John Wills (R-10th district). "Iowans make their own decisions and don't need correction."
"These comments by Nikki Haley are very telling regarding her status in Iowa," tweeted activist Bob Vander Plaats. "And this admission of getting beat in the Hawkeye State gives Chrystal [sic] clear clarity and renewed conviction to Iowans as they Caucus for Ron DeSantis on January 15."
On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) tried to pump up Haley's chances in Iowa:
Even with her campaign's expectations tempered for a second-place finish, the Haley camp is spending money hand over fist in the Hawkeye State trying to attack Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) while other groups are spending like crazy to get Haley to second place. The Haley-aligned Super PAC SFA fund has spent $10 million on attack ads against DeSantis in just over three weeks. And that spending isn't stopping:
All that spending may not be enough to overcome these unforced errors that Haley is making. She continues to engage in the most unfortunate self-sabotage imaginable.