Nikki Haley To Launch 2024 Presidential Run

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will launch her candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Feb. 15, squaring off against her one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with her plans.

Haley is expected to release details about her White House bid in an invitation to supporters later on Wednesday, according to local news outlet The Post and Courier, which first reported the planned announcement.

The daughter of two Indian immigrants who ran a successful clothing store in a rural part of the state, Haley has gained a reputation in the Republican Party for her ability to address issues of gender and race in a more credible fashion than many of her peers.

She is also known as a staunch defender of American interests abroad. She was the U.S. ambassador at the United Nations from 2017-2018. The United States pulled out from the Iran nuclear agreement, which was signed under Democratic President Barack Obama, and was widely disapproved by Republicans.

Haley received national attention in 2015 when, as governor, she signed a bill into law removing the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol, following the murder of nine black churchgoers by white supremacist Dylann Roof.

If she were to win the nomination, Haley would be the first woman at the top of the Republican presidential ticket in history, as well as the party’s first non-white nominee.

Her biggest challenge will be to convey a consistent message. Even in a field where most candidates have changed their mind about key issues multiple times, Haley is particularly chameleonic.

Although she has distanced herself from Trump many times, she later changed her tone and said that he had an important role in the Republican Party.

She has criticised Republicans for putting doubt on the results in the 2020 presidential election. However, she voted for multiple candidates who supported Trump’s false election fraud claims during 2022 midterms.

Although she sometimes uses a conciliatory tone when addressing racial issues she will often use a more measured tone. At a November campaign rally, she stated that Raphael Warnock (Democratic Georgia Senator), a Savannah-born Black man, should be elected. “deported.”

Playing into Haley’s hands may be geography: South Carolina is historically the third state to host the Republican nominating contest, and it often plays