Some of Donald Trump‘s staunchest allies in the Senate are welcoming the news that Nikki Haley will challenge the former president for the GOP nomination in 2024, brushing aside concerns that she will pose a serious threat to Trump’s third White House bid.
Haley debuted her 2024 campaign in a video Tuesday morning, one day earlier than expected. The former South Carolina governor, the second Republican to jump into the race, was expected to make her run official at a campaign event in Charleston on Wednesday. Instead, she surprised political spectators with a launch video calling for a “new generation of leadership.”
“You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies,” Haley said in an apparent dig at Trump. “And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”
SHOCK AND AWE: NIKKI HALEY SURPRISES WASHINGTON WITH EARLY 2024 ANNOUNCEMENT
So far, five senators have already endorsed Trump, who announced his campaign days after the midterm elections in November. If the lawmakers are worried about Haley’s prospects, they gave no indication of it in brief interviews with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
“I think it’s great. You need to build your team, get as many people to run, get them in debates, see how qualified they are — kind of work your way up. She’d make a great candidate,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “We are all on the same team. I think the American people need the opportunity to look at different people. Nobody will be a shoo-in.”
Tuberville, who endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid in November, reflected on a recent conversation he had with the former president about the possibility of facing Haley and other potential contenders.
“He asked me what I’ve thought about several of them, and I said, ‘I hope they all get in.’ He needs the challenge as well as anybody — everybody needs it. They need to work for it, fight for it,” Tuberville said. “I think it’s good for our party.”
The GOP primary is expected to draw a large primary field, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Sen. Tim Scott (SC) among the Republicans mulling a White House run in 2024. The former president could benefit from a crowded primary given his sizable base of support.
Tuberville reflected on the slow start Trump’s campaign has gotten off to and said the former president has some leg work to do in fundraising and reacquainting himself with Republican voters.
“He’s gonna have a base of 25% or 30% of people, and he’s got a lot of work to do, to grow on that,” he said. “He got in knowing that he is gonna have to do more than just rallies. He’s got to go out and touch flesh, be around people. I mean, he’s got a lot of catching up to do in some areas,” he said.
Besides Tuberville, Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Eric Schmidt (R-MO) have endorsed Trump.
Mullin, the latest senator to endorse Trump, called Haley’s announcement “not a big deal to me” and predicted she would lose the primary. To prevail, he told the Washington Examiner, Haley needs to find a lane of support different from Trump’s.
“You’re not going to be able to go through President Trump. That’s not possible,” Mullin said. “She’s going to have to figure out a way to get around him, and I don’t think there’s enough lane to get around him. His base is solid. If they were going to move, they would have already left.”
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Graham, the longtime senator from Haley’s home state, told the Washington Examiner he thought she will be a good candidate. In a statement released on Twitter, he lauded her accomplishments as governor of South Carolina and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
So far, Haley has yet to secure any endorsements from Republican senators, but her run was received warmly from lawmakers outside of Trump’s orbit.
“I think she is a talented person with a great story to tell. I think she will get a full hearing from Republican voters. Obviously, she won’t be the only one running,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “President Trump might be a very talented communicator from the modern era and has already won a nomination once before. I still think he’s the favorite, but we will see how it all plays out.”
“She was a strong governor and exceeded expectations, politically,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told the Washington Examiner. “I think she’ll be a real contender.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has feuded with Trump, said he anticipates Republicans will have a “vigorous primary” with “a number of candidates making their case.”
“I think it’s going to be very, very competitive,” McConnell said during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “I’m going to support whoever is the nominee.”
