Nikki Haley launches 2024 campaign with calls for fresh leadership in GOP, White House
By Seth McLaughlin, Joseph Clark
The Washington Times
Nikki Haley made her case for new leadership in the GOP and the country on Wednesday, officially launching her bid for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination.
The former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the U.N. during the Trump administration avoided any direct confrontation with her former boss as she kicked off her campaign in Charleston, but urged voters to “move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past.”
“We’ve lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections,” Mrs. Haley said of the GOP. “Our cause is right, but w have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans.
“If you’re tired of losing, then put your trust in a new generation,” the 51-year-old mother of two said. “And if you want to win — not just as a party, but as a country — then stand with me!”
She announced her bid in a prerecorded video on Tuesday, joining former Present Donald Trump as the first two declared candidates for the GOP nomination.
Mr. Trump, 76, had maintained a tight grip on the party following his ouster from the White House in 2020, but the former president was blamed by some for Republicans’ worse-than-expected showing in last year’s midterm elections.
Still, Mrs. Haley is likely to face an uphill battle in a Republican field that is expected to grow more competitive as blue chips enter the race. Other potential challengers include Ron DeSantis, who has generated nationwide buzz as Florida’s governor, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
But Mrs. Haley, who became the first minority female governor in America in 2010, warned on Wednesday she should not be underestimated.
She touted her economic record as governor and her foreign policy chops as ambassador to the U.N. — themes that she will likely carry with her on the campaign trail.
“When I ran for governor, people said, ‘Nikki who?’ But together, we won,” she said. “Then we cut taxes, created thousands of jobs, and revitalized our economy. When President Trump nominated me for ambassador to the United Nations, people said I didn’t have the experience. Then I went to work. I told the world that America would have the backs of our allies, and for those who did not have our backs, we were taking names.”
Mrs. Haley’s campaign message is not just for Republicans, however. She took aim at what she says is a rise in “self-loathing” among Americans under President Biden that has crippled the U.S. on the global stage. She also criticized Democrats for what she says is runaway spending that will have generational consequences unless reeled in.
“Our moment is now. Our mission is clear. Let’s save our country and secure our future. And let’s move forward, together, toward our destiny — in a strong and proud America,” she said.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.