Despite the former governor of New Jersey’s criticism, Nikki Haley’s chances have been enhanced.
Latest news Updates : Days before the first ballots are cast in Iowa and New Hampshire, the contest has seen a surprise shockwave due to Chris Christie’s withdrawal from the Republican presidential nomination race. The former governor of New Jersey was the most vocal and intense opponent of front-runner Donald Trump in the field; his announcement on Wednesday may help Nikki Haley gain ground. Haley, the most closely matched candidate with Christie’s beliefs and the former US ambassador to the UN, has surpassed Trump and is now in second place in several early voting states, such as New Hampshire and Iowa.
If the majority of Christie’s supporters switch to Haley, as predicted, that could assist give her candidacy some more impetus. “With Donald Trump and me, this has turned into a two-person race,” Haley stated to Fox News early on Thursday. And, you know, I’ll tell you, we keep moving and we’re moving for a cause, even though everyone else wants to minimize us.
Haley still has a long way to go before she can overcome Trump’s commanding advantage, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the only other contender with any real chance of winning the Republican nomination, faces an even bigger challenge. During a televised discussion in Iowa on Wednesday night, the two traded insults, but the spectacle had little effect on their respective positions in the race. In Iowa, which will host he first nominating contest on Monday, Trump has a 35 percentage point advantage over Haley, currently in second position above DeSantis, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average. With the primary taking place in New Hampshire on January 23, Trump leads Haley by 12 percentage points.
For weeks, Christie had been under pressure to withdraw from the race so that Haley could enter, and when he made the announcement, he vowed “to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again.” However, the tough-talking, pugnacious politician declined to support Haley that evening. Christie and his advisors actually gave a harsh, if unintentionally overheard, assessment of Haley’s prospects of ever defeating Trump. Before the event, while he was announcing his withdrawal from the race, Christie was recorded warning his advisors that the previous president would “smoke” her.
Wayne MacDonald, the leader of the Christie campaign in New Hampshire and a participant in that conservation, told the Financial Times, “I don’t think she’s the modern-day Joan of Arc that she’s being portrayed to be.” “It is way, way, way early for those who would have Nikki Haley pen her acceptance speech for Milwaukee. With plenty of work ahead of him, Donald Trump is still in a great position. To be honest, I don’t think she will surpass him,” MacDonald continued. In a report, pollster John McLaughlin for the Trump campaign said that Christie’s resignation would even put Haley in a “liability” position. “If his decision was made in an effort to support Nikki Haley, it will further divide the race into a fight between Haley’s DC and the Trump conservativesThe former governor of New Jersey felt that Haley was pressuring him to drop out of the race, which has been a major cause of friction between them. Although MacDonald stated that Christie made “his own decision” to depart, he also alluded to the resentment. There were attempts to bully the New Jersey man out of the race, but you don’t bully someone like that. Furthermore, some Haley fans posted on social media last night, saying, “We finally succeeded.” We forced him to leave. Donor David Tamasi of Christie’s is also not exactly hurrying to support Haley. “I’m interested to see how that turns out.
The erstwhile president is still prohibitively popular. Furthermore, I believe it is now the other contenders’ responsibility to determine how competitive they can be in Iowa and New Hampshire. Haley has responded skillfully to both Christie’s derogatory remarks and the absence of an endorsement. It’s not unexpected. That’s how these guys have been talking since the beginning,” she said on Fox News. However, Christie’s more pointed criticism of Haley and the other Trump opponents—that they have been overly timid in their criticism of the former president out of concern for upsetting his base—might be more difficult to refuteChristie frequently brings up the incident from last year’s Republican debate, when Haley and DeSantis raised their hands in response to a question about whether they would endorse Trump if he were to win the nomination—even if he was found guilty.
Christie declared at his farewell event on Wednesday, “Anyone who is unwilling to say he is unfit to be president of the United States is unfit to be president of the United States.” “Telling the truth will make me lose rather than lying to win.”
As Christie exited the campaign, the most passionate Republicans opposed to Trump applauded him, claiming that his candidacy fulfilled the essential function of directly opposing the previous president.
Charlie Sykes, a former Republican talk show presenter and editor-at-large at The Bulwark, remarked, “Right up to the end, Christie — that deeply flawed, infuriating, exasperating, irritating man — was a magnificent beast.” However, Trump and his supporters regarded Christie’s involvement in the Republican contest with great contempt. Senator JD Vance of Ohio told Fox News that Chris Christie “was a guy without a constituency.”
[…] the majority of Christie’s supporters switch to Haley, as predicted, that could assist give her candidacy some more impetus. “With Donald Trump and […]