Former US ambassador to the UN lasted longer than any other Republican challenger, but failed to seriously challenge Trump.
Nikki Haley is set to announce that she is suspending her campaign to win the Republican nomination for November’s United States presidential election, news agencies report, citing people familiar with her campaign.
An announcement is expected at about 15:00 GMT on Wednesday. The decision comes after the former US ambassador to the United Nations was soundly defeated in most primaries on Super Tuesday.
Her departure from the race will leave Donald Trump as the only candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination, opening the way for a deeply divisive rematch between the former president and the incumbent Democrat, Joe Biden, in November. It will be the first repeat presidential contest since 1956.
According to sources, Haley will refrain from giving an endorsement, having campaigned to attract moderate Republicans.
Haley lasted longer than any other Republican challenger to the frontrunner, drawing support from deep-pocketed donors. But she never posed a serious threat to Trump, whose grip on the party’s base remains firm despite his multiple criminal indictments.
Haley spent the final phase of her campaign warning the GOP against embracing Trump, whom she said was too consumed by chaos and personal grievances to defeat Biden.
Her stronger showing among moderate Republicans and independents – she won unaffiliated voters by a wide margin in New Hampshire and notched almost 40 percent of the vote in South Carolina – highlighted how Trump’s scorched-earth style of politics could make him vulnerable in an election expected to be dominated by the issues of economy and immigration.
But Trump is on track to reach the required 1,215 delegates needed to snag the Republican nomination later this month.
United or not
Trump on Tuesday night declared that the GOP was united behind him, but in a statement shortly afterward, Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said, “Unity is not achieved by simply claiming, ‘We’re united.’”
“Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump,” Perez-Cubas said. “That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters’ concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.”
Haley was not at first going to compete against Trump but later changed her mind, stating the US needs “generational change.” Haley, 52, later called for competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 – a jab at both Trump, who is 77, and Biden, who is 81.
Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel in October made election campaigns shift towards foreign policy, and gave her the opportunity to showcase her experience from the UN. She argued that both Israel and the US could be made vulnerable by what she called “distractions”.
Elsewhere on the foreign policy front, Haley often complimented Trump’s achievements but became more critical over time. She argued against his hyperfocus on trade with China, and warned that weak support for Ukraine would “only encourage” China to invade Taiwan.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
