- Sputnik International, 1920
Analysis
Enjoy in-depth, acute analysis of the most pressing local, regional and global trends at Sputnik!

Nikki Haley's 2024 Bid: Could 'Mike Pompeo in a Skirt' Win Hearts and Minds of GOP Voters?

© AP Photo / Seth Wenig Nikki Haley
 Nikki Haley - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.02.2023
Subscribe
Former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley announced her 2024 presidential bid on February 14. She is seen as a major competitor to challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
"I think [Nikki Haley has] got a shot," Dan Eberhart, a major GOP donor and CEO of Canary, one of the largest privately-owned oilfield services companies in the United States, told Sputnik. "She's a credible person and she's accomplished a lot. Haley's never lost a race. I think merging being UN ambassador and being governor of a Southern state, while being a female and an Indian-American is a very poignant resume. She's certainly a credible entrant into the race, but in terms of who's ultimately victorious, I doubt that her star has the proper mass to get her there."
On Tuesday, Haley released a video in which she announced her decision to toss her hat into the ring in 2024.
“The Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again. It’s time for a new generation of leadership to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose,” Haley said in the video.
Notably, back in 2021, Haley made it clear to the US mainstream press that she would not run if Donald Trump opted to seek another term in the White House. Still, American reporters noted that the former president, who announced his bid in 2022, appears to have given her his blessing. Trump said that Haley had informed him about her decision to launch a campaign and he had responded: "You should do it."

"I think she's an opportunist," Eberhart suggested. "And I think we will see that clip a couple of hundred times between now and her getting out of the race. Trump has been president before, so if he loses in the primary, it's a big loss that will finish him. Whereas I think Haley can come in third and potentially be vice president, a Cabinet position, or be well positioned to run for statewide office in South Carolina in the future. For Trump I just think the bar is higher."

US Ambassador to the UN and UN security council president, Nikki Haley speaks during an United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.02.2023
Americas
Ex-South Carolina Governor, Former Trump Toady, Neocon Darling: Who is 2024 Candidate Nikki Haley?

Neoconservative Stance

So, which wing of the Republican Party precisely does Nikki Haley belong to? Sputnik's interlocutors believe that her political standing could be described as "neoconservative."
"My friend and client, Roger Stone, has an interesting way of putting it. He says that basically Nikki Haley is Mike Pompeo or John Bolton in a skirt," Tyler Nixon, political analyst and attorney for Donald Trump’s former campaign advisor Roger Stone, told Sputnik. "She is aligned with them very much in terms of her natural political allegiances. She does represent the old guard because she comes out of a state in which she was promoted through the ranks, she has adopted, she has not certainly been a firebrand in any way to distinguish herself, as many emerging leaders in the party have."
© AP Photo / Andrew HarnikFrom left, National Security Adviser John Bolton, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump
From left, National Security Adviser John Bolton, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.02.2023
From left, National Security Adviser John Bolton, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump
Nixon went on to suggest that Haley is "very close to Lindsey Graham, who is an extremely hawkish and an aggressive neoconservative." He specified, however, that he would say that neoconservatives are neither "neo" nor "conservative."
"That's just a term that was applied to them. They are essentially internationalists, globalists. They are interventionists and they believe in militarism or military interventionism," the attorney clarified.
When it comes to foreign policy, Haley is "extremely pro-Israel," and, thus, anti-Iran, according to Nixon. She also belongs to the Republican wing that promotes a very muscular foreign policy in the Middle East and wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out. Their bellicose stance is not surprising, given that a lot of hawkish Republicans have stakes in the defense industry, according to the political analyst.

"[Haley is] very supportive of Ukraine and using Ukraine as a proxy to weaken Russia, which obviously is a very neoconservative oriented policy," Nixon continued. "Her criticism of Trump at times, even while she was in the UN [was] for not being muscular enough or not being aggressive enough towards upsetting Russia."

Interestingly, despite holding diplomatic positions, Haley cannot be called very diplomatic, according to the attorney. On the contrary, she preferred lecturing and making demands. She had no scruples about calling out countries "that failed to endorse the US." However, he does not think that it will affect how Haley is perceived domestically in the run for president.
US Vice President Kamala Harris - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.07.2022
'Outrageous & Extremist' Kamala Harris Slammed by Nikki Haley Over Statement on Abortion Ruling

Haley: 'Non-Abrasive Fighter'

In the eyes of Republican voters, Haley and Trump agree on most domestic policy terms, according to Sputnik's interlocutors. Haley even subjected the US establishment to criticism in her Tuesday announcement akin to the former president.

"The first difference with Trump, as will be true for most Republican candidates, is her style," Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, told Sputnik. "Trump's style was blunt and aggressive. That appealed to a lot of voters who were tired of political double talk. This was especially true of many Republicans who were tired of candidates who did not seem willing to take the fight to Democrats (e.g., [Bob] Dole, [John] McCain, [Mitt] Romney). That his style was sometimes too abrasive was overlooked by many at the time. Now, however, voters may be looking for someone who is still a fighter, but without being abrasive about it. Haley would fit that difference."

Hagle has also drawn attention to the fact that Haley raised the issue of "a generational change" in her video. According to him, that was a polite way of saying that some candidates, meaning Trump and US President Joe Biden, are too old at this point.
"Trump is certainly very vigorous, but styles, preferences, and approaches change and what worked before may not work again," the political scientist remarked. "If Haley can make that point without angering Trump supporters she might make some headway."
At the same time, Hagle believes that Haley's presidential ambition is a longshot, given that many Republicans still support Trump or consider Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a better alternative.
"It's still possible that if Trump isn't able to generate the same enthusiasm for his candidacy and if DeSantis isn't able to extend his appeal nationally, then others, including Haley, might have a shot," the political scientist assumed.
President Donald Trump looks at his phone during a roundtable with governors on the reopening of America's small businesses, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, June 18, 2020 - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.02.2023
Americas
Trump Campaign Commissioned Independent Research Into 2020 Election Results, Media Reports
However, it is far more likely that if Haley raises her national profile, she might be someone to consider as a vice presidential candidate or member of the Cabinet, should a Republican win in 2024, he underscored. When it comes to GOP donors, they could truly hail her, given that she is not as aggressive and "abrasive" as Donald Trump, according to Hagle.
Nonetheless, Haley still needs "to articulate her specific views (as opposed to those of Trump given that she was part of his administration)." And if she is inclined to pursue an interventionist agenda, she needs to explain to US voters "why that's important and why it won't necessarily lead to another extended war," the political scientist remarked.

"She will still need to show that she's a fighter if she plans to convince a lot of Republicans to support her. Now that Republicans have experienced someone who fights they won't want to go back to the likes of Dole, Romney, and McCain," Hagle concluded.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала