Why Nikki Haley’s backing is a big deal for Donald Trump

Nikki Haley’s decision to support former President Trump is a major development in the 2024 race that is will likely help unify Republicans even more behind a candidate who divided them a little.

As Trump advanced through the primaries, a substantial protest vote competition after competition came up for Haley – a concern for the former president’s camp, although he ignored.

Haley’s decision could limit that protest. At the very least, it means that the woman making headlines for winning that support is supporting her rival.

“I think it has an impact. I think a lot of Haley’s most genuine supporters do care, and that makes it a little more difficult,” said Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Haley Voter Working Group, when asked if the development has made it more difficult for the Biden campaign. . win over your supporters.

Last week, Haley won 20 percent of the vote in the Maryland Republican primary and 18 percent in the Nebraska primary. She received almost 22 percent in Indiana earlier this month and in April, Haley won more than 100,000 votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania, respectively.

“Earlier in the cycle, there were always 20-30 percent of Republicans modeled in the primaries who would never consider voting for Trump in the primary process,” said one Republican strategist.

Haley’s public comments saying she would vote for Trump could also be interpreted as a signal to her donors that they have the green light to put financial resources behind Trump.

“Divided parties fall, so both campaigns need to come together,” said Bruce Mehlman, a former staffer for President George W. Bush. “Democrats tried to unify by banning alternatives from the start, Republicans by persuading the many failed competitors to bend the knee and fall in line.”

Haley’s support for Trump is undoubtedly a blow to President Biden, who has worked to woo his supporters since dropping out of the race in March.

Biden argued that moderates, independents and those disappointed with his choice in November belong to his camp, in an attempt to grow the Democratic coalition before Election Day.

Biden’s campaign launched an ad last month, aiming to target Haley voters and highlight Trump’s insults against her and her supporters.

The Biden team also held a Zoom call with Haley’s Voter Working Group following her comments, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to The Hill. The meeting was recorded before Haley’s comment and was not a reaction to it, the source said.

Schwartz, the group’s head, said he was undeterred by Haley’s partial support for the former president.

“[The] The bottom line for our organization is that we already thought it was going to be difficult, and we wanted to make sure we focused on Haley voters — Nikki Haley made a difficult decision, and a lot of those voters are going to have to make difficult decisions as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Democrats say they are not shocked by Haley’s decision.

“Ultimately, this is yet another indication of the old adage that Republicans fall in line, Democrats fall in love,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist.

“We are not going to make assumptions about anyone who spoke out against Trump in the primaries,” he added.

And Haley, along with the other 2024 Republican presidential candidates, signed a Republican National Committee pledge to support the candidate. Commitment was required for candidates to participate in primary debates. Trump did not sign the pledge.

When asked in early March on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether she felt compelled by the pledge, Haley said: “No. I think I’ll make the decision I want to make.”

John LaBombard, former communications director for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), agreed that Haley’s support isn’t surprising and shouldn’t change much for Biden.

“It was always going to take a real, sustained effort from President Biden to win the support of a portion of these voters, and that continues to be the case,” said LaBombard, senior vice president at ROKK Solutions. “But registered Republicans willing to resist Donald Trump are already exercising independent thinking and a willingness to break with their party’s orthodoxy – so while some will support Trump and some will vote less, some will likely also remain open to supporting the President Biden. And ‘some’ may be enough in one or more of the swing states.”

Any decision Haley made would also inevitably impact her future plans, including another possible presidential run.

She is seen as a formidable force in the Republican Party, highlighted by the primary votes she managed to garner, and her decision raises questions about whether she is making a run for vice president or a Cabinet position.

“If you want to have a future in Republican politics, you have to support the candidate,” said the Republican strategist. “To have a future in the party, you can never be seen as someone who doesn’t support the candidate and, frankly, especially if he loses. You never want to be partially or – in this case, perhaps unfairly or otherwise – significantly blamed for it.”

However, some Haley supporters are quick to point out that she made the comments in her capacity as a “voter.”

“A lot of her constituents weren’t looking to her for a permitting framework,” said Alissa Baker, a Haley supporter who served on her Virginia leadership team.

“She stated a personal opinion,” Baker continued. “Maybe some people will follow, but I don’t think it was in any way an endorsement, so I don’t know if anyone is really going to jump on it and say this is going to change the situation in any way.”

Still, some anti-Trump Republicans criticize his decision.

“Not a surprise, but: pathetic,” wrote former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) the social platform.

“Oh, and remember this [Haley] from just 2 and a half months ago: Trump ‘is unbalanced’ and ‘an unbalanced president is an insecure president’. Were you lying then? Or did you really believe? former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele wrote in another X post.