WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for the Republican Party primary for the 2024 United States presidential election on Tuesday.
Nikki Haley, who had served as ambassador to the United Nations during Donald Trump’s tenure, is the former president’s first declared opponent, who remains his camp’s favorite despite refusing to concede defeat to Joe Biden in 2020 and its supporters’ assault on the Capitol.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week, 43% of voters registered as Republicans support Donald Trump, 31% Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and only 4% Nikki Haley.
The very conservative Ron DeSantis has not communicated his intentions for 2024 but he is already the target of Donald Trump and his supporters, who seek to discourage him from running.
Nikki Haley, the 51-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, formalized her candidacy in an email sent by her campaign team. She is to present her program on Wednesday during a speech in Charleston, South Carolina.
“The time has come for a new generation of leaders, to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our borders and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose,” she said in the recorded message.
“China and Russia are on the move. They think we can be bullied, hit. You should know this about me: I can’t stand bullies. And when you hit them back, it hurts them more if you wear heels,” the former governor added.
(Report by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey, French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Blandine Hénault)
