Staff Reports
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley made a little joke at a recent campaign event, but it seems maybe she should have left the comedy to the professionals. Speaking in Milford, New Hampshire, Haley tried to rally the crowd by telling them, “You know how to do this. You know Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it. … And then my sweet state of South Carolina brings it home. That’s what we do.” In other words, she made a little dig at the good folks in Iowa, suggesting that their decisions might need to be fixed by the voters in New Hampshire. Ouch.
Nikki Haley Attacked After Video Shows Her Mocking Iowa Voters Just Before Crucial GOP Caucuses via @WestJournalism https://t.co/VmcuOqCRa5
— Pasquinal (@NASM106) January 4, 2024
Of course, her opponents in the race, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, were quick to pounce on her remarks. DeSantis’ team blasted Haley for “belittling Iowa caucus goers” and Ramaswamy expressed his disbelief at Haley’s comment. Even Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds had a sharp retort for Haley, saying, “I trust Iowans to make their own decisions. No ‘corrections’ needed!” Haley may have just stepped in it.
Now, historically, Haley’s not exactly wrong about New Hampshire having a better track record than Iowa when it comes to picking the eventual Republican nominee. Business Insider reported that of the last four competitive Iowa caucus winners, only George W. Bush went on to win the nomination, while three of the last four competitive New Hampshire Republican primary winners ended up winning the nomination. But still, Haley might be better off not poking fun at the voters in a key early state.
Right now, Haley’s in a tight race with DeSantis, trailing behind Trump in Iowa. With DeSantis and Haley neck and neck after Trump, every misstep could be costly. And with rumors swirling about her leaning too far left, making divisive comments like these isn’t doing her any favors. If she wants to stay in the game, it might be time to tap into her South Carolina charm and try to win over the people she might have rubbed the wrong way. But as it stands, she might have just made her uphill battle even steeper. Uh-oh.
