Current:Home > InvestNikki Haley on White House bid: "This is just getting started"-LoTradeCoin
Nikki Haley on White House bid: "This is just getting started"
View Date:2024-12-24 09:40:12
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, facing an uphill battle heading into the Republican nominating contest in South Carolina, said the race is "just getting started" and appeared undeterred by polls that show former President Donald Trump leading in her home state.
"I just got to South Carolina," Haley said in an interview on "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday. "We just left New Hampshire. My goal has always been to keep building."
For the former South Carolina governor, the Palmetto State marks a major opportunity, after a third-place finish in Iowa and a loss to Trump by more than 10 points in New Hampshire earlier this month. And with a quirk in next week's contest in Nevada, where Trump and Haley won't go head-to-head, the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary marks the next major showdown.
Though voters have familiarity with Haley, who served as the state's governor from 2011 to 2017, the conservative electorate is favorable for Trump. But Haley is aiming to come in even stronger in South Carolina than in the Granite State.
"They know that I was a good governor," she said. "Now I have to show them I'll be a good president."
Still, a slew of endorsements of her opponent by GOP state officials has added to the headwinds for Haley, throwing her prospects in the state into question.
Even so, Haley touted a handful of fundraising booms following an outburst by Trump — what she called a "temper tantrum" by the former president after her second-place showing in New Hampshire — as evidence that voters want an alternative.
"People don't want a coronation," she said. "It's been two states."
Haley reiterated her pitch for a new generation of leadership, saying that Trump and President Biden aren't as mentally fit as they used to be.
"Are we really in this country going to have two 80-year-olds running for president?" Haley said. "The party that goes and puts a new generational leader in is the party that will win. That's why I'm running."
The former U.N. Ambassador also pushed for strikes against Iran following the death of three U.S. troops over the weekend, saying "this is not about playing hard at Iran is about playing smart," while advocating for "surgical" action to go after leadership.
Kaia HubbardKaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Burger King is giving away a million Whoppers for $1: Here's how to get one
- Fight over foreign money in politics stymies deal to assure President Joe Biden is on Ohio’s ballot
- Mississippi governor signs law to set a new funding formula for public schools
- These Moments Between Justin Bieber and Pregnant Hailey Bieber Prove They’ll Never Ever, Ever Be Apart
- FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo dies at 22 after injuries from October crash
- Former NBA player Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis sentenced to 40 months for defrauding league insurance plan
- Police in North Carolina shoot woman who opened fire in Walmart parking lot after wreck
- Scammer who claimed to be an Irish heiress should be extradited to UK, judge rules
- Lululemon, Disney partner for 34-piece collection and campaign: 'A dream collaboration'
- Universities rescind commencement invitations to U.N. ambassador over conflict in Gaza
Ranking
- Burger King's 'Million Dollar Whopper' finalists: How to try and vote on your favorite
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle ejected after Knicks' controversial overturned double dribble
- Hundreds of Columbia Jewish students sign pro-Israel letter. Not all Jewish students agree.
- Arkansas lawmakers adjourn session, leaving budget for state hunting, fishing programs in limbo
- 'Unfortunate error': 'Wicked' dolls with porn site on packaging pulled from Target, Amazon
- Ex-Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry charged over illegal foreign donations scheme
- Biden administration will seek partial end to special court oversight of child migrants
- Neuralink brain-chip implant encounters issues in first human patient
Recommendation
-
Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
-
Panthers-Bruins Game 2 gets out of hand as Florida ties series with blowout win
-
Taylor Swift Adds Cute Nod to Travis Kelce to New Eras Tour Set
-
GM is retiring the Chevrolet Malibu, once a top-seller in the U.S.
-
Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
-
Ford's recall of Bronco and Escape raises significant safety concerns federal regulators say
-
Welcome to Rockville 2024: Lineup, daily schedule, ticket information
-
Several people detained as protestors block parking garage at Massachusetts Institute of Technology