From dutiful to defiant: The evolution of Nikki Haley's failed presidential campaign
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) — For much of her 2024 presidential campaign, Nikki Haley spoke fondly of serving under former President Donald Trump for two years as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Trump, she often told voters, was «the right president at the right time.»
But when Haley suddenly found herself in a head-to-head battle with the Republican frontrunner, who hurled a bevy of insults her way, she unleashed a torrent of attacks in return. The 77-year-old Trump, she now said, was too old and too chaotic to send back to the White House for a second four-year term.
Haley's evolution from a Trump acolyte to arch rival in the late days of the Republican nominating race left her as the standard-bearer for the party's dwindling anti-Trump faction.
Her defiant stand against her former boss won her the support of some independents and moderate Republican voters, along with the backing of donors who poured tens of millions of dollars into her campaign in its final months.
Haley, 52, never seriously challenged Trump in opinion polls. On Wednesday, she ended her campaign. She said it was likely Trump — who repeatedly belittled her candidacy — would be the Republican nominee but did not endorse him.
By the time she decided to drop out, she had been abandoned by some former allies and left with no clear political future in a party dominated by the man who now will lead its presidential ticket.
Even so, Haley's ascent was notable. Stuck in single digits in polls for much of the race and overshadowed by more prominent names in a crowded field, Haley, the only woman in the Republican contest, nonetheless outlasted all other candidates and was Trump's last remaining rival. Polls on hypothetical general election
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