Haley Camp Rejects Critique 2024 Bid Relies on Democratic Voters
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(Bloomberg) -- Nikki Haley’s campaign manager said they are courting independent voters as the former UN ambassador embarks on a longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination, despite criticism the candidate is relying on Democrats and left-leaning individuals to fuel her bid.
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“There are a lot of people who are looking at this as a binary choice now who maybe are not voters who have traditionally participated in Republican primaries, but who are conservative, who are independent and who do want a better option,” Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney said in a call with reporters Monday. “It does not mean that we are courting Democrats. It means that we are looking at independents and expanding the Republican electorate.”
Haley’s strategy to appeal to independent voters in a Republican primary is a risky one. In New Hampshire, with a long tradition of voters not officially registering with either party, Haley lost to frontrunner Donald Trump by 11 percentage points — or roughly 36,000 votes.
In South Carolina, the next major primary contest and Haley’s home state, she trails Trump by 27 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics average of statewide polls. Ankney said the campaign is striving to greatly increase the number of people voting in the primary, who may not be captured in the polls.
Trump has critiqued Haley for financial support she’s received from prominent corporate executives and other major donors who have typically backed Democrats.
Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder who is a big supporter of President Joe Biden, donated to her presidential bid. Her bid also received money from a nonprofit led by well-known technology venture capitalist Matt Cohler. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon has urged “very liberal” voters to help Haley win the Republican nomination.
“I think any of those hits from Trump are pretty rich considering his history, Ankney said, referring to the former president’s previous support of Democrats. “We have people who are strong conservatives who are with Nikki and her gubernatorial race. We have people from across the country who are reaching out and saying now that it is Nikki Haley versus Donald Trump in the Republican primary, we see that there is a better way.”
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