Nikki Haley made her pitch to NH voters. Here's why it matters for Americans across the country

Corrections & Clarifications:  An earlier version of this story was missing a word in the description of Nikki Haley's former role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

EXETER, N.H. — As Nikki Haley's status in the GOP presidential primary rises, the former South Carolina governor is pitching herself as a solutions-oriented, conservative leader.

In front of a standing-room-only crowd at a Republican presidential town hall hosted by the USA TODAY Network last week, Haley touched on issues ranging from abortion to the war in Israel, national security and immigration reform. Throughout the hourlong program, Haley also reiterated her call for a “new generation of leadership.”

“We can’t have someone who is so clouded with the past that they can’t see the future,” Haley told voters gathered at the historic Exeter, New Hampshire, Town Hall, arguing that while she believed former President Donald Trump “was the right president at the right time,” the moment had passed.

Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, is picking up momentum both from fundraising and in polls. But she still lags far behind her old boss in the Republican primary race. The latest Suffolk University/BostonGlobe/USA TODAY survey showed Haley 20 points behind Trump in New Hampshire but nine points ahead of her other nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Here’s a look at Haley's pitch to voters in New Hampshire that could impact Americans across the country.

Granting full support to Israel

Amid the escalating war between Israel and Hamas, Haley expressed full-throated support for Israel and said the key U.S. ally had a “right to fight back.”

“While we have their back now that they’ve been hit, what’s more important is that we have their back when they hit back,” Haley said.

The former ambassador added that “we need to remember who the true backer of all this is: Iran.”

Iran has denied any involvement in planning Hamas’ attack on Israel but has warned that if Israel’s siege on Gaza continues, Hezbollah could "cause a huge earthquake" in Israel, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian said.

During her time as U.N. ambassador, Haley was an ardent supporter of Israel and at one point played a role in blocking a former Palestinian official from being appointed to a senior U.N. position.

Protecting national security

Haley last week had similarly strong words for other U.S. adversaries, especially China. She advocated for eliminating Chinese economic influence in the U.S. by preventing their government from buying land and discouraging universities from enrolling Chinese students.

If elected, she also suggested she would ramp up military spending and modernize U.S. defense equipment related to space, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

“It’s not going to be the Department of Defense; it’s going to be the Department of Offense,” she quipped.

But Haley has also reflected on military families on the campaign trail. Her husband, Michael Haley, is a commissioned officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard and began a deployment to Africa earlier this year.

Finding consensus on abortion

Echoing calls she made during the first Republican primary debate in August, Haley said Americans need to “stop demonizing” and “start humanizing” the issue of abortion.

Haley, who supports restrictions on abortion, argued that her Republican colleagues must be honest about the slim chances of passing a national abortion ban in the heavily divided U.S. Congress.

“I think there is room for a federal law, but the only way there’s room is if we have a consensus,” Haley implored, noting that she believed there is still room for action around adoption incentives, contraception and and other compromises on reproductive health.

“We can do this without hating each other,” Haley said. “Our collective goal is how do we save as many babies as possible and support as many moms as possible.”

Bolstering immigration resources

Like her GOP rivals, Haley pledged to crack down on illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border by reinstating the so-called "Remain in Mexico" policy first established under the Trump administration. Instead of detaining or releasing them into the United States, this policy required asylum seekers to stay in the neighboring country while their immigration proceedings played out and were given a U.S. court date.

To address the over 11 million estimated undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S., Haley called on leaders to defund sanctuary cities − municipalities that don’t enforce certain immigration laws − and introduce a national e-verify program requiring businesses to show that their worker's are legally allowed to work.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley also vowed to change the legal immigration system in the U.S. to one more focused on merit and the economic needs of key industries, like agriculture, tourism and tech.

“Then whoever you’re bringing in actually builds up our economy,” Haley suggested. “It’s good for us.”

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: From Israel to abortion rights: Nikki Haley makes pitch to 2024 voters