Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley has announced her bid for the Republican Presidential nominee for the 2024 election cycle.
Haley grew up in Bamberg, South Carolina and is the daughter of Sikh immigrants from Punjab, India. At the beginning of her career, Haley was active in local politics and business, and later on she became a state representative in South Carolina. Haley was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, making her the first woman of color to be governor of South Carolina and the second Indian American to serve as governor in the United States, and served until 2017.
During the 2016 primary elections, Haley was critical of Donald Trump and even endorsed Ted Cruz. After Trump was elected into office, he nominated Haley for the position of UN ambassador. Haley’s time as ambassador was filled with back-and-forth supporting and contradicting President Trump. She left the UN Ambassador position in 2018 after being highly critical of the Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“You should know this about me,” Haley said in her video announcement. “I don’t put up with bullies and when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels, I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m running for president.”
In her announcement, she claims that the Republican party should move back to its original ideals and she goes as far as saying that the Washington establishment has failed the people. According to her campaign website, Haley cites her work creating jobs and cutting taxes when she was governor as well as the laws she signed forcing businesses to check the legal status of all their workers. She also references her work as UN ambassador to highlight her strong position on issues and her America first values.
Haley is the second of many projected GOP politicians to announce their presidential run and according to a public opinion poll by Reuters, Haley is trailing behind former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with only 4%.
Karyme Flores can be reached via email at kflores22@twu.edu
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