Many candidates have been where Nikki Haley is now—the optimistic upstart who might just be able to take on Trump. First came DeSantis, whose lead collapsed months ago and continues to dive, then Ramaswamy, who has since tumbled to 4th place. Now Haley, the most respectable candidate in a field of impressively incompetent and buffoonish options, takes her turn.
Haley served as United Nations ambassador under the Trump administration and complied with absurd MAGA rhetoric. Since then, she has flip-flopped into criticizing Trump, though it includes fewer hammering strikes and more throwing pebbles and even then it is shallow criticisms unfitting for Trump being the far dominant front-runner at 59.1%.
After the second Republican debate, her campaign prospects became increasingly optimistic. Ramasamy fumbled and has since been on a downturn, so Nikki Haley takes the spotlight, nearing the precipes of overtaking DeSantis. During the third Republican debate, she gave the best performance of any candidate according to New York Times critics, solidifying her competence in comparison to the absurdity of the other candidates.
Haley has proven herself more electable, too. Her views on abortion are much more moderate than any other candidate on the stage, something that is far more important in a post-Roe America and was the most discussed topic in the third debate. She earned a diligent reputation when as North Carolina governor there was a brutal church shooting, and she attended the funeral for every victim. She called for the removal of the Confederate flag from North Carolina government grounds prior to entering the 2024 race. In the July-September window, she raised $11 million, which shows an uptick from $7.3 billion the previous quarter. An established conservative like her may have the best chance of defeating Joe Biden.
Though her campaign is gaining traction, Haley faces monumental hurdles. Most glaring is Trump’s colossal lead over every other candidate, holding an impressive 59.1%, a lead which Haley, standing at 10%, dismissed. Further, Haley is only a moderate by comparison, as she has skewed farther right economically, frequently invoking Margaret Thatcher, and this is if she keeps her lead at all. DeSantis and Ramaswamy have both been considered as the option after Trump, but DeSantis has collapsed with Ramaswamy never even surpassing a failed DeSantis.
Nikki Haley stands a chance but lies in the single digits amongst other candidates fighting for scraps, cosplaying real politics. Her performance in the third debate does not matter if no one is watching, with the viewership dropping by millions each debate, standing at a lowly 7.5 million for the third debate, compared to over 12 million for the first. Even if she manages to rise above every other candidate, she is distinctly unable to persuade MAGA voters and will be stuck with a minority faction within the Republican Party. To defeat Trump would take a miracle, but she stands the best shot.
