COLUMBIA, SC –
Nikki Haley is getting closer to officially joining her presidential campaign.
On Wednesday, supporters of the former South Carolina governor will receive an email invitation to a February 15 launch event in Charleston, at which she plans to announce her campaign, according to an acquaintance. belong to the plans but are not allowed to speak publicly about them. .
Haley, 51, served as governor of South Carolina for six years before serving as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. When she enters the race, Haley will be the first candidate to run against her former boss, who is currently the only Republican seeking her party’s nomination in 2024.
Trump was in South Carolina on Saturday for the first of his 2024 campaign, alongside Governor Henry McMaster – who served as Haley’s vice governor – and several GOP members in the campaign. state delegation, part of his leadership team in the early-voting state.
During the Trump administration, Haley has at times feuded with other White House officials while bolstering her own public image. Her 2018 departure sparked speculation that she would challenge Trump in 2020, or replace Vice President Mike Pence on the ticket, but Haley did not.
After the January 6 siege of the Capitol, Haley initially cast doubt on Trump’s political future but said she would not challenge him in 2024.
In 2021, Haley told the Associated Press that she “wouldn’t run if President Trump ran,” but she has since diverged. When asked recently why she was considering running for office despite her comments in 2021, Haley told Fox News “a lot of things have changed,” while also mentioning the difficulties. economic hardship of the United States.
She went on to say that she felt she could be part of a “new generation change,” an indirect allusion to Trump’s advanced age.
