Monitoring Desk
CHARLESTON: Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday announced her candidacy for president, becoming the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Presidential Election.
Haley made the announcement in a video and marked an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official. Two years ago, Haley said that she would not challenge Trump for the White House in 2024. However, she changed her mind in recent months, citing, among other things, the country’s economic troubles and the need for “generational change,” a nod to the 76-year-old Trump’s age.
Haley is the first in a line of Republican nominees who are expected to launch 2024 campaigns in the coming months. Among them are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
President Joe Biden has also said he intends to seek reelection in 2024, stalling any push for the Democratic nomination.
Nikki Haley political career
Haley has regularly boasted regarding her track record of defying political expectations, saying, “I have never lost an election, and I am not going to start now.”
If elected, Nikki Haley would be the nation’s first female president and the first US president of Indian descent.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Nikki Haley, grew up enduring racist taunts in a small town in South Carolina and has long referenced that impact on her political and personal arc.
She was an accountant when launched her first bid for public office, defeating the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House in 2004. Three terms later and with little statewide recognition, Haley mounted a long-shot campaign for governor against a large field of experienced politicians.
