Among the Republicans, Nikki Haley is the first to launch against Donald Trump

The race for the nomination is launched among the Republicans. Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday, February 14, her candidacy for the Conservative Party nomination for the 2024 US presidential election. She becomes the first notable candidate to challenge Donald Trump. The former diplomat, rightly appointed to the UN in 2017 by the former resident of the White House, had been approached for several weeks to enter the competition.

“Even in our darkest days, we are incredibly lucky to live in America”, says this daughter of a couple of Indian immigrants, who grew up in a small town in South Carolina, a state of which she was governor. But “The time has come for a new generation of leaders”she urges in her message, in which she does not hesitate to criticize the record of the Republicans.

Increased competition for Donald Trump

Stuck in a series of cases, former President Donald Trump, candidate since November 15, is currently not enjoying the campaign momentum he was hoping for. He did not immediately react to Nikki Haley’s announcement. After going it alone for three months, Donald Trump is gradually seeing the ranks of his Republican rivals fill up. Its former vice-president, Mike Pence, its ex-head of diplomacy, Mike Pompeo, the governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin… Many Republicans plan to launch themselves in the coming weeks.

For Nikki Haley, the threat could come directly from her state: South Carolina senator Tim Scott is also very openly flirting with a candidacy. But the spotlight is mostly on Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and rising star of the party. He hasn’t officially entered the race either. The battle for the Republican nomination therefore promises to be bitter.

On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden says so far he has “the intention to represent”, and promised to make its decision public at the beginning of the year. No rival has yet come forward to challenge him.