Ms. Haley is hardly new to politics and has drawn attention with her fluent performance in the first two Republican primary debates. Photo: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
“Every time I hear you, I feel a little dumber for what you say,” Nikki Haley said as she fended off her Republican challenger, Vivek Ramaswamy.
With a throwaway comment that seemed to slip away. The former South Carolina governor, out of exasperation, lassoed the evening's most coveted catch: a viral one-liner.
She has since emerged as Donald Trump's leading rival, favoring him in the key Republican primary in New Hampshire. and overtaking Ron DeSantis.
Her ability to switch between red-button topics such as foreign policy, the auto workers strike and abortion has led some anti-Trump donors concerned about DeSantis' lackluster campaign to move to her camp.
< p>But does Ms. Haley, 51, have what it takes to usurp the Florida governorship and challenge her former boss Mr. Trump for the Republican nomination?
Background
Born to immigrant parents from the Punjab region of India who moved to the United States. in the 1960s, Haley often stated that «coming to America was the best decision they ever made.»
However, the mother of two grew up as something of an outsider in the small rural town of Bamberg, then population 2,500.
She previously spoke of the «pain» she felt when the owners of a roadside fruit stand called police in connection with her university lecturer father Ajit Singh Randhawa, who wore a turban.
But the resulting resilience helped her become the fiery politician she is today.
Ms. Haley began her accounting career at age 13, when she did bookkeeping for her family's fashion boutique.
After attending Clemson University, where she met her husband, Michael Haley, she worked as an accounting executive for a company recycling company in Charlotte before returning to the family business.
Racist attacks and resilience
In 2004, feeling uneasy, Ms. Haley decided to run for the South Carolina House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Larry Coons post the longest.
Her rival's campaign targeted her with racist attacks, sending out leaflets that showed her with her turbaned father and called her by her birth name Nimrat N. Randhawa — but the low blows weren't enough to bring her down.
< Years later, when she was running for the governor's mansion, she again became a victim of racism when Jake Knotts, a state senator, called her a "fucking wuss" in a webcast.
As the first female governor of Indian descent, Ms. Haley led one of the coups of her tenure when the Confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina statehouse after the brutal massacre of a black congregation in a white supremacist attack.
Use With her charm and charisma able to attract foreign investors, Ms. Haley also created 400,000 jobs in the state by the time she left to become Mr. Trump's ambassador to the United Nations.
Ms. Haley has walked a tightrope for years between disdain and support for Mr. Trump. She viciously attacked him during the 2016 primaries and, expecting him to lose to Hillary Clinton, was ready to position herself as an alternative to the GOP billionaire.
Though she dismissed his claims that the election 2020 was stolen, she also refused to condemn him and alienate his electorate.
Now, years after Ms Haley confidently said Mr Trump would not run for president again because he had «fallen so low», he has a 40-point lead over his closest rival, Mr DeSantis .
2,709 Republican candidates in 2024 primary polls
Reena Shah, a former Republican adviser and political strategist, said Ms. Haley is a “viable front-runner” capable of competing with Mr. Trump.
«Her ability to perform at this level in the last two debates has turned on its head the idea that she came in hoping to become Trump's vice president,» she told The Telegraph.
«She just had there were several outstanding responses that showed why she could be the candidate capable of winning the general election.»
“I really think she is the candidate we should be most concerned about. I don't think we should worry too much about polls. Because politics is about feelings. And anyone who watches these performances doesn't put her back in the has-been category.»
However, Christopher Galdieri, a political science professor at St. Anselm College, isn't so convinced.
«Often you see a candidate who is on the rise, and then the question becomes, can he continue to attract support? Or is this her ceiling?
He said her ability to not make enemies or attack anyone other than Mr. Ramaswamy is “smart.”
“I think the question is, can you continue to be all things to all people enough to become an alternative to Trump?”
One in six chances that Trump will not run
Professor Galdieri said that, although unlikely, that either candidate beats Trump, there is a one in six chance that an external event, such as a criminal conviction, could eliminate the former president from the race.
“They” y’all are in this shadow race: in case something happens, they want to be the first person everyone thinks about.”
As for becoming vice president, both Ms. Haley and Ms. Trump fought back. That's the proposal, but that could change in the coming months.
Last month at a rally in Michigan, Trump called his seven Republican rivals «job candidates» and said he doesn't see a vice president in the state. group.
Ms. Haley was more candid, saying last month: “I think anyone who says, 'She's doing this to become vice president,' needs to understand that I'm not I’m running for second place.”< /p>
Свежие комментарии