As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the importance of choosing a candidate to vote for grows. Nikki Haley is a Republican candidate for the presidential election. Haley is best known for serving as South Carolina Governor from 2011-2017 and as a United States ambassador to the United Nations for just under two years, starting in 2017, after her time as Governor. In Haley’s current campaign, left-leaning individuals (leftists) are perceiving her as a safer Republican option because she would create more representation as a woman, rather than looking deeper into her political policies and beliefs. She gives a falsified hope to voters who are hoping to find a candidate that aligns with their political views. While leftists may assume that political diversity comes with policies beneficial to their beliefs, that’s not always the case. According to the New York Times, Haley’s policies are not as assertively conservative compared to her opponent’s policies. A large amount of her beliefs are conservative, yet only certain policies, focused on equality, are being mainstreamed to leftists, giving false ideas of her goals as a candidate.
Haley’s beliefs make her a full conservative, aligning with the majority of the Republican party’s views. While she appeals to a majority of the right-wing, her beliefs and policies don’t measure up to the level of conservatism her opponents believe in.
The main policy drawing in some leftist and independent voters, is her stance on abortion. According to The New York Times, Haley is “unapologetically pro-life” but does have some overlapping views on abortion laws as many leftists. She believes women who have abortions should not be convicted, contraception should be easier to access, and Haley doesn’t judge anyone for their beliefs about abortion. This makes her an incredibly viable and threatening candidate for both parties because she appeals to each of them, just in different ways.
While yes, a few of her beliefs are less aggressively conservative, it’s not something to give into. When she was South Carolina’s governor, she signed a law that banned abortions after 20 weeks. As president, she would continue to damage the rights many women and activists have worked so hard for. Even though she won’t change the current policies to the extent that some of the other Republican candidates would, it’s not an excuse to vote for her.
If Haley gets chosen as the Republican nominee, she will be a greater threat than she is now. Even though a few of her opponents have a sizable lead, the earlier stages of this election are not going to determine the outcome. For her to succeed in the long run, she would need Donald Trump and Chris Christie both out of the race. Political Science Professor at Reed College, Paul Gronke, claims “she is trying to position herself as an alternative to Trump.” If for some reason Donald Trump drops out or messes up, she can easily position herself better than her opponents as the next option.
In the buildup to the presidential election, the New Hampshire primaries are very important if a candidate wants a future in their campaign. Gronke states, “Haley and Christie are positioning themselves, as you know, more moderate, less conservative, then New Hampshire is gonna be really important for them.” Since New Hampshire is very balanced on the spectrum of political views, it gets strong media attention during its primary election. This causes the New Hampshire primaries to be essential for the candidates at the beginning of the race because of how influential it can be towards the rest of the states and independent voters. Haley still has her policies that target independent voters, but still can easily pull in a majority of Republicans with her conservative beliefs.
A differing perspective might argue that Nikki Haley isn’t an actual threat, because Democrats are going to vote for Democratic candidates and vice versa. While yes, each party has voted for whoever’s representing their political views, it doesn’t mean they won’t be tempted by someone that seems to share some of their values. America is now made up of a record 49% of independent voters, according to Axios. Since independent voters don’t have a party to side with, it hypothetically cancels out any biases towards a specific side. This shows how easy it could be to persuade an independent voter to vote for a candidate as long as their views on issues are similar. Haley is a danger, not to be discounted. Haley has the upper hand when it comes to persuading independent voters. She presents herself as a conservative but also tries to appeal to more centrist voters.
The presidential election is incredibly important when it comes to helping diverse communities thrive. Candidates should be researched thoroughly before being voted for. Nikki Haley does not deserve the support she is gaining. She is a threat to the future of abortion care by denying access to people who need the procedure. If she becomes president, she will have more of a platform to spread her policies. It’s not safe for the future of the United States of America to be left in the hands of a candidate who was chosen based on the presumption they’ll help the people who really need it.
