Haley Wanted a Two-Person Race – Now She Has It

(Newsworthy.news) – Following the notable drop-out of former presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Republican candidate Nikki Haley is embracing the two-person race she hoped would result from the highly anticipated race for the GOP nomination.

On January 21, Haley commended Florida Gov. DeSantis on his “great race” and then pointed out that the Republican competition to run in the 2024 presidential election is down to what she described as “one fella and one lady.” The former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina is now up against the former president Donald Trump for the nomination.

Despite Haley’s celebration of one less competitor in the Republican race, she remains far behind Trump, who is almost 20 points ahead of her in New Hampshire—the next critical primary following the Iowa caucuses earlier this month.

DeSantis’ exit from the race came after he placed second in Iowa, with much lower success and support than his campaign hoped for following much investment into garnering votes in the Hawkeye State. After that disappointment, he appeared to focus on support from South Carolina voters instead of New Hampshire.

Instead of visiting the key state’s city of Manchester on January 21, DeSantis issued a surprise video statement from Florida announcing his decision to drop out of the race. In addition to his concession, the popular governor gave an endorsement to Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nominee.

Regarding Haley, DeSantis criticized her support of what he called “warmed-over corporatism.” Haley has received backlash from conservative Americans during her campaign, with many disappointed in her support of broad consensus on issues such as abortion.

DeSantis, on the other hand, entered the race as a popular candidate, having gained considerable attention from the nation by cracking down on radical left-wing ideologies in Florida schools and refusing to enforce concerning protocols for students during the pandemic.

However, as observers and analysts have noted, his presidential campaign ran into major obstacles with the end of the pandemic, his PAC falling apart and his biggest competitor Trump gaining ongoing support while being accused of federal crimes.