Nikki Haley Makes Historic Run for the Republican Nomination in 2024

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has officially announced her run for the presidency in 2024, becoming the first woman of color to run for the Republican nomination and the first to challenge former President Donald Trump.^[0] Haley’s ties to Trump could complicate her candidacy, as she was critical of him when he first ran for president in 2016, but then joined his administration, promised she would not run against him in 2024, and served for two years as the Ambassador to the United Nations.^[1]

When she was elected in South Carolina in 2010, Haley became the youngest and first minority female governor in the country; she was the daughter of Indian immigrants.^[2] In her announcement video, Haley focused on Republicans’ low popular vote numbers and the need for “generational change.”^[3] She opened her campaign announcement by saying that she was “different,” having grown up as the daughter of Indian immigrants in a South Carolina town divided by race and has previously talked about her family’s own experiences with racism.^[4]

Party leaders will be eager to see more candidates like Haley in the years to come.^[5] But as polling already suggests, she’s probably not the sort of candidate that party voters are interested in.^[5] She challenges the “Washington establishment,” promising to “rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose.”

Haley is also warning the “socialist left,” China, and Russia, saying “they all think we can be bullied, kicked around…you should know this about me—I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”

Haley’s candidacy is a historic moment and how her campaign unfolds will tell us a lot about what it means to run as a Republican woman of color today.^[4] It will also be a high-profile test of how a woman of color is received by Republican primary voters.

0. “Joe: Nikki Haley talks about being tough but we've seen the flip flops” MSNBC, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/joe-nikki-haley-talks-about-being-tough-but-we-ve-seen-the-flip-flops-163320901503

1. “Nikki Haley is running for president. Here’s what to expect at her town halls in New Hampshire.” The Boston Globe, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/14/metro/nikki-haley-is-running-president-heres-what-expect-her-town-halls-new-hampshire/

2. “Nikki Haley teases expected 2024 announcement in fiery video: ‘Where will you stand?’” Fox News, 8 Feb. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nikki-haley-teases-expected-2024-announcement-in-fiery-video-where-will-you-stand

3. “Nikki Haley vows to take on “bullies” in 2024 bid against Donald Trump” Vox.com, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/2/14/23599194/nikki-haley-donald-trump-2024-presidential-campaign

4. “Nikki Haley Is Taking On Trump” FiveThirtyEight, 14 Feb. 2023, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nikki-haley-is-taking-on-trump/

5. “Analysis | Nikki Haley's astute, doomed assessment of American politics” The Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/14/haley-trump-republicans-presidency/