Former U.N . Ambassador, Indian-American Nikki Haley is one of only two candidates for the Republican nomination after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his bid to become the Republican Presidential candidate on Sunday, ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. De Santis endorsed former president Donald Trump after dropping out and has released a statement in which he concedes that “a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.”
While DeSantis posed a strong challenger to Trump in the early days of the race, his campaign did not gain the momentum it promised. The decision to suspend the campaign came after a disappointing 30-point loss to Trump in the Iowa leadoff caucuses.
After DeSantis dropped out, Haley said, “I want to say to Ron he ran a great race. He’s been a good governor, and we wish him well. Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.”
Commentators consider Haley a more moderate candidate representing the pre-Trump era of the Republican party. Though she served as U.N. Ambassador under Trump’s presidency, the latter has criticized her as standing for “a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism”.
Though Trump continues to be the frontrunner for the candidacy, New Hampshire might be Haley’s best chance to dethrone him, as the more moderate, educated voters of the state have delivered upsets in the past.
“May the best woman win,” she was quoted as saying ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
