Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will travel to Iowa this month after recently announcing she would run for president.
According to sources familiar with her plans, Hailey will officially begin running on February 15 in Charleston, South Carolina, before stopping in New Hampshire before arriving in Iowa for events starting on Presidents Day on February 20. I will participate in.
Hailey will be spending three days in Iowa and attending a statewide event, sources said.
A former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Haley regularly attends Iowa, most recently campaigning on behalf of Iowa Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
In July, she joined U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra for a fundraiser in Iowa’s very conservative 4th congressional district.
So she said she would run for president “if there seems to be a place for me.”
“It was an honor to serve the country that raised me and to defend the country I love,” she told reporters at the time. I’m not going to start now. Put in 1000% and finish. If I have no place to live, I will fight for this country until I die. ”
Haley is the first public figure in the Republican Party to declare a presidential run since former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy shortly after the midterm elections. Trump recently made stops in South Carolina and New Hampshire, but has yet to return to Iowa.
While many Iowa Republicans remain deeply committed to the former president, the party structures that backed the 2020 presidential re-election have pledged to remain neutral into the 2024 cycle. Top Republican lawmakers, including Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, have said they will not endorse.
Providing a fair and neutral first contest is important for Iowa Republicans.
“Hosting the first national caucus is not only a privilege for Iowa, it is a significant responsibility that influences the direction of the nation as a whole,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufman previously said. said. Iowa is committed to carrying out this democratic duty with complete neutrality and impartiality. ”
Haley’s visit comes amid a late start to the caucuses as Trump weighs the contours of the race that will likely remain the frontrunner. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seen as Trump’s most powerful rival, is not expected to start his campaign until later this year.
more:Des Moines Register Candidate Tracker: Where are the 2024 Candidates in Iowa?
Still, politicians have been testing the waters for months and continue to do so.
Haley’s trip overlaps with a visit by fellow South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Scott, who has also hinted at a possible presidential run, is scheduled to speak at the Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Dinner in Polk County on February 22.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also attended last month’s inaugural ball for Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the Register’s Chief Politics Reporter. Contact her at [email protected] or her 515-284-8244. Follow her on her Twitter. @Brian DMR.
