by Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who served as an ambassador to the United Nations during former President Donald Trump’s administration, will join Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Multiple sources confirm to Fox News Digital that Haley will formally declare his candidacy for the White House at an event in Charleston, South Carolina on Feb. 15, with an invitation soon extended to his supporters. News of Haley’s announcement was first reported by the Post and Courier newspaper in South Carolina.
Political pundits have long viewed Haley as a potential GOP presidential contender, as she has crisscrossed the country through her Stand for America political group for the past two years, helping fellow Republicans run in the 2022 election. Haley’s travels l They have flown numerous times to Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, holding the first, second and fourth contests on the Republican presidential nomination calendar. Haley’s home state of South Carolina votes third in the GOP primary schedule.
When she spoke to reporters last year who questioned her about a White House race, Haley reiterated that “after November, we’ll find out. But you know what I said: I’ve never lost a race. I’m not going to start now. If there’s room for me, we’ll give 100% and finish it.”
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Haley turned up the volume in a speech after the midterms at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting, which was seen as the GOP’s first major presidential roll call of 2024.
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“A lot of people have asked me if I’m going to run for president,” Haley said to the cheers of the crowd at the Las Vegas conference. “Now that the midterms are over, I’m going to watch it seriously.”
He repeated that he “never lost an election” and that “when people underestimate me, it’s always funny.”
Two weeks ago, Haley amped up her language even further, saying in an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report” that “I think we need a younger generation to come in and step up and really start making things right.. Can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”
Haley is the daughter of immigrants from India who grew up to become South Carolina’s first female governor. She will now become the second well-known Republican to launch a 2024 campaign, after the former president, who announced her candidacy at an event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida in mid-November
Speaking to reporters aboard his plane Saturday as he flew from a campaign speech in New Hampshire to a leadership kickoff in South Carolina, Trump said Haley had called him to discuss the White House race.
“Follow your heart if you want to run,” Trump told Haley. And he said he told her that she “should do it.”
But then he appeared to tease Haley, noting that he had previously “publicly” stated that he would not seek the White House in 2024 if Trump ran again.
Haley told the Associated Press in April 2021, “I wouldn’t run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it. This is something we’ll talk about at some point if that decision is something that needs to be made.”
But later that year, Haley signaled an openness to a possible 2024 presidential race even if Trump decided to seek the White House again.
Behind the scenes, Haley has been ramping up its operations over the past few weeks, with incoming personnel heading to South Carolina.
“Nikki Haley has been laying the groundwork for a national rollout ever since she went to the United Nations,” noted South Carolina conservative social leader Dave Wilson.
Wilson, president of the Palmetto Family Council, a conservative Christian nonprofit in Colombia, stressed that “With this announcement, Haley has entered the countdown window. As they say at NASA, ‘Prepare for liftoff.'”
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Haley may not be the only South Carolina Republican to jump into the race for the White House. Senator Tim Scott is making moves that could lead to the launch of a presidential campaign.
Among the other top Republicans who appear to be moving toward launching bids are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former two-term governors. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas. And among those brooding runs to the White House are governments. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and former Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Will Hurd of Texas.
