CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley, the previous South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, introduced her candidacy for president on Tuesday, changing into the primary main challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The announcement, delivered in a video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cupboard official, who said two years ago that she wouldn’t problem her former boss for the White Home in 2024. However she changed her mind in latest months, citing, amongst different issues, the nation’s financial troubles and the necessity for “generational change,” a nod to the 76-year-old Trump’s age.
Haley, 51, is the primary in a protracted line of Republicans who’re anticipated to launch 2024 campaigns within the coming months. Amongst them are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
President Joe Biden has stated he intends to hunt reelection in 2024, stalling any jostling for the Democratic nomination.
Haley has repeatedly boasted about her monitor file of defying political expectations, saying, “I’ve by no means misplaced an election, and I’m not going to start out now.”
If elected, Haley can be the nation’s first feminine president and the primary U.S. president of Indian descent.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley grew up enduring racist taunts in a small South Carolina city and has lengthy referenced that affect on her private and political arc.
She was an accountant when she launched her first bid for public workplace, defeating the longest-serving member of the South Carolina Home in 2004. Three phrases later and with little statewide recognition, Haley mounted a long-shot marketing campaign for governor towards a big subject of skilled politicians.
She racked up plenty of high-profile endorsements, together with from the sitting South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a tea social gathering darling.
Along with her 2010 victory, Haley grew to become South Carolina’s first feminine and minority governor — and the nation’s youngest at 38. She earned a talking slot on the 2012 Republican Nationwide Conference and gave the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union in 2016.