Nikki Haley, the Republican Presidential candidate, exhibited a strong presence in the Jan. 10 debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, securing the second position in various polls. However, pundits, including her former rival Chris Christie, predict a challenge against former President Donald Trump as the primaries commence. Christie withdrew from the campaign just before the debate, leaving Haley to face Florida Governor Ron DeSantis alone.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, unable to meet the 10 percent threshold in three separate polls, did not participate in the debates. Polling consistently below 7 percent, both Haley and DeSantis are grappling for the second spot behind Trump, who leads the Republican pack with 51 percent of the vote. Iowa Republican voters kick off the 2024 election cycle with caucuses on Jan. 15, while New Hampshire voters head to the polls on Jan. 23.
Shekar Narasimhan, founder of the AAPI Victory Fund, predicts Trump will secure the Republican nomination on March 5 when 15 states, including California, hold their primaries. Although ambivalent about Nikki Haley’s policies, Narasimhan emphasizes her need to secure second place in Iowa and New Hampshire. Failure to win her home state, South Carolina, in the Feb. 3 primary, could force her to end her campaign there.
Amar D. Amar, founder of Indian Americans for Trump, concurs that Haley struggles to connect with rural voters and highlights her stance on abortion conflicting with the Republican Party’s position. He predicts Ramaswamy will be a formidable force in 2028.
Despite support from notable backers like the Koch brothers, Reid Hoffman, and Stanley Druckenmiller, Haley trails both DeSantis and Trump in fundraising. During the Jan. 10 debate, she criticized DeSantis for excessive campaign spending, emphasizing her own frugality. DeSantis, in turn, took jabs at Haley throughout the debate, characterizing her as a “mealy-mouthed politician” and questioning her commitment to conservative values.
