Nikki Haley locks down endorsement from key Trump ally after announcing 2024 run
Ryan King
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Nikki Haley has secured the endorsement of a key ally of former President Donald Trump.
Haley, who announced her run on Tuesday morning and is holding her first campaign event Wednesday, received the backing of fellow South Carolinian Rep. Ralph Norman (R). Norman echoed Haley’s campaign mantra in calling for new leadership.
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“In 2016, President Trump was exactly who the Republican Party needed at the time. For too long, Republicans had been marginalized. Then Trump came along and reminded us how to fight [for] what we believe. We are better off now for what President Trump accomplished while he was president,” Norman told Fox News.
“However, the Republican Party has entered a season of change. We’re at a pivotal juncture, and most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership,” Norman said. “You always know exactly where Nikki stands. From her time in the statehouse and as governor, there was never a shred of doubt.”
Trump endorsed Norman during his reelection bid in the 2022 midterm elections, and the congressman, who is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has branded himself a staunch conservative. He previously voted against certifying the 2020 election, highlighting his fealty to Trump.
Norman and Haley have a history of working together. They were elected to the state House of Representatives, and Norman was one of the first major politicians to endorse her in 2010 for governor. At the time, she positioned herself as a Tea Party darling.
Haley announced her 2024 campaign on Tuesday in a video, becoming the first heavyweight candidate to challenge Trump, who declared his candidacy last November. Trump was surprisingly mum from his Truth Social perch on day one of her 2024 debut.
She is slated to make a “big announcement” in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday before hitting the road for a series of town hall-style events in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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Norman’s endorsement comes amid speculation that another South Carolinian heavyweight, Sen. Rick Scott (R-SC), will enter the fray. Scott is slated to embark on a “listening tour” in Charleston on Thursday, the day after Haley’s event, followed by a multiday tour of Iowa next week.
Other prominent Republicans in South Carolina, such as Rep. Nancy Mace, have withheld any endorsement amid Scott’s speculated entry.