One of the possible candidates to run in the electoral battle is Senator Tim Scott, who has spoken of his desire to be the first black Republican president of the United States.
Less than a year before the start of the 2024 US presidential primaries, former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is doubling down on her field trips, trying to slow Donald Trump’s huge lead in the polls.
The recent – historic – indictment of the former US president, who is surrounded by judicial prosecutions, opens the door to candidates who will not fail to present themselves as more moderate and less unpredictable than Donald Trump, who is 76 years old.
“pink glasses”
In this context, Nikki Haley (51 years), the daughter of Indian immigrants and a former governor of South Carolina, organized her public meetings over a period of three days in the modest headquarters of the municipality of Laconia, a small city in New Hampshire (northeast) with a population of 16 thousand people.
“I’ve always been underestimated, in everything I’ve done. And it’s a blessing because it makes me a fighter and a hard worker,” Haley told 150 people, wearing a jacket that read “The One Who Dare To Win.”
However, Haley did not achieve much in opinion polls, as she got 1% to 5%, as is the case with most of the announced Republican candidates (Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Perry Johnson). It comes as no surprise to Sandra LaRose, a front desk employee whom AFP met in a cafeteria in Manchester (New Hampshire).
One of the potential candidates to run in the electoral battle is Senator Tim Scott, who spoke of his desire to be the first black Republican president of the United States.
The 58-year-old Trump voter says supporters of Haley and other candidates “see things through rose-colored glasses.” “But if you take off these glasses, does she really have what it takes to run the country?”
In this case, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, looks best placed to challenge Donald Trump in the race for the “big old party” nomination.
Although DeSantis did not officially announce his candidacy for the elections, his controversial stances shone the spotlight on him.
What is the status of Trump?
Trump remains far ahead of his Republican rivals (from 20 to 46 points, according to opinion polls), to the extent that he questioned during a rally in New Hampshire the feasibility of competing with them.
While all the Republican newcomers to the party say they are seeking to go to the end, some voters like Sarah Mack, 75, believe that they are candidates in the first place to be a candidate on the Trump ticket.
Their only advantage is that they may be a little less chaotic than Trump, Sarah Mack told AFP at a Trump rally.
Although she points to Nikki Haley’s skills in international relations, she is “not tough enough to go to Iran, North Korea and China” and to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that “Trump is capable of that.”
On the other hand, Sarah Mack believes that Haley embodies a “new generation” of leaders, while Haley assures the residents of Laconia that the United States was “respected” at the United Nations during its representation.
Erica, a 27-year-old soldier, wore a Nikki Haley campaign shirt. And if you want to believe that “there are better alternatives” to Trump, she says, “I don’t think it’s impossible” to defeat him.
But for Laconia car salesman Brendan Florio, “it’s going to be tough for anyone who gets in his way,” referring to Trump.
“It’s probably one of the reasons why DeSantis won’t get into the campaign. Why would he want to go into it, if he didn’t have a chance?”
