Former South Carolina Governor and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley joined former President Donald Trump in the Republican race for the presidency last Wednesday. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley is the first Republican woman of color to run for president. She made her entrance into politics by toppling a 30-year incumbent, won her first gubernatorial race as an underdog nicknamed “Nikki who,” and has never lost an election she has run in. 

The ethos of Haley’s campaign message thus far is clear. In announcing her campaign, she made it abundantly clear: “for a strong America, for a proud America, I am running for president of the United States.” She closed her speech in a similar vein: “let’s move forward together, toward our destiny, in a strong and proud America.”  

She knows that, once again, she is entering the race to 2024 as a credentialed underdog—stating in her announcement speech: “I’ve been underestimated before… that’s always fun. And I’ve been shaking up the status quo my entire life. As I set out on this new journey, I will simply say this: may the best woman win.”

Members of the Mock Convention 2024’s Political Department traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to witness Haley kick off her historic run to be the Republican nominee in 2024. There, we talked to members of her staff, journalists, and potential voters. Here’s what we learned.

Introductions and Endorsements

Haley was introduced by former South Carolina RNC State Chair Katon Dawson, Cindy Warmbier, and Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC). Haley’s support from Dawson, Warmbier, and Norman point to what her campaign might look like. 

Dawson, full of South Carolina charm, recalled meeting a first-time candidate Nikki Haley and told of her underdog wins. As a former RNC State Chair, his support reflects Haley’s deep roots in the Palmetto State’s political apparatus. The third state on the Republican primary calendar, doing well in South Carolina is pivotal for any candidate. Haley has some notable enemies in the state, however, including current Governor Henry McMaster.

Cindy Warmbier’s son, Otto Warmbier, was imprisoned, tortured, and killed by the North Korean regime. Warmbier painted Haley as “a glimmer of light in the darkest moment of her life” and someone who has never stopped fighting for Otto—potentially a dig at Donald Trump’s friendly meetings with Kim Jong Un. 

Congressman Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, endorsed Haley and painted her as a “political outsider” who would have “been right there with us” during Kevin McCarthy’s Speaker of the House vote that HFC members, including Norman, held up. This is pivotal in this presidential primary—Norman depicts Haley as being the opposite of the establishment and heralded her for taking on the “machine” in Columbia. 

A Generational Pitch

To be sure, a lot of Haley’s speech focused on the America she sees and her political story thus far. She made sure to announce her run and close her speech with a call “for a strong America, for a proud America.” But Haley’s main pitch was a recurring call for a new generation of political leaders while underscoring the historic nature of her campaign. 

Haley was born in 1972, the same year that now-President Joe Biden was first elected to the U.S. Senate. We expect Haley, who is 51 years old—a quarter century younger than Donald Trump—to use her relative youth and generational argument to differentiate her campaign. Among her supporters, the message was well received. Aside from announcing her run, her biggest applause arrived when she quipped “America isn’t past its prime, its politicians are.” 

Haley’s generational argument is a smart one. It allows her to attack Trump, who is 76 years old, without saying his name. The attack also allows her to do the GOP-popular move of going after Biden’s age. However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is 44 years old, is seven years younger than Haley. One would not be surprised to see him use this line as well. 

Congressman Norman walked a noticeably fine line here. He celebrated Donald Trump and his presidency, but used the generational argument to excuse his support for Haley. Haley is coupling this pitch with two wildly popular policy proposals: congressional term limits and competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 (one year younger than Trump). 

About a week later, at a town hall in Iowa, Haley was asked point blank why voters should choose her over Trump. Her response? “I don’t think you need to be 80” years old to serve in Washington.

A Historic Run

Haley’s run is historic, and despite asserting that she doesn’t “believe in” identity politics, she celebrated being the first Republican woman of color to run for president. She’s done this before, serving as the first female governor of South Carolina (and, at the time, the youngest governor in the nation). Beyond joking “may the best woman win,” Haley made the historic nature of her campaign clear. She talked about the American values that drew her Indian immigrant parents to the United States, and she asserted that “it will require doing some things we have never done, like sending a tough as nails woman to the White House.”

What Her Supporters Said

We talked to a number of Haley’s supporters at her Charleston event, but perhaps none were more enthusiastic than Ken Yasger. He arrived at the rally, after driving from Georgia, with patriotic sleeves of tattoos and a homemade Nikki Haley 2024 shirt he ordered on Amazon. Of Haley, he said “she is not polarizing … her foreign policy work at the United Nations was really inspiring.” He was confident that she could deliver on her message of a strong and proud America. There were supporters who had traveled from Ohio, plenty of folks who told reporters that “Trump needs to stop talking,” and a lot of young attendees. 

What’s Next?

Trump responded immediately, pushing out an opposition research dump on Haley. Haley, meanwhile, has hit the ground running. She has now hosted multiple town halls in New Hampshire and Iowa as an official candidate, building momentum. The race for 2024 is officially on.