June 12
A quiet day for Nikki Haley.
June 13
The Republican race got even more interesting today and that was due to President Donald Trump once again. Trump appeared in a Miami courthouse, pleading not guilty to the multitude of charges against him. Large crowds came out all along the route between Trump’s home Mar-a-Lago and the courthouse. Many were supporters but some were anti-Trump people.
Haley commented on reported recordings of President Biden accepting bribes. She said the following:
“The information coming out about the Bidens’ alleged bribery calls further demonstrates the lack of trust in the DOJ and FBI”
“They need to release the recordings, and Biden needs to answer for them.”
A subtle dig, perhaps, at the treatment of Trump?
Haley criticised Biden for his energy policies and for allowing technology chip making to be expanded in China. She once again talked about trans people in sport, this time discussing a trans female cyclist who won by five minutes against biological women.
June 14
Today, America celebrates Flag Day. The day commemorates the anniversary of the approval by the government of a new flag. The US Army was also founded on this day and this is also commemorated.
Haley commemorated both with a tweet.
She also discussed what she calls “the war on women.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s polling has increased even more. FiveThirtyEight has Trump on 53.4%. Meanwhile, Haley is lower down the scale at 4.2%. If Trump exits the race at some point, he’ll have some support to divvy out to the remaining contenders. Will Haley benefit from this or will it be more of a boon for Ron DeSantis?
June 15
Haley stated that America shouldn’t be buying oil from “enemies” of the nation. This is no doubt referring to countries like Iran and Russia. She is pushing for energy independence to stop the nation from relying on other sources.
She criticised Biden for improper federal payments. These are payments that were either numerically incorrect or not paid at all.
June 16
It was barbs at dawn today. President Barack Obama said the following during a podcast discussion with David Axelrod, his former Senior Advisor:
“There’s a long history of African-American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, ‘Everything’s great, and we can make it’.”
Obama mentioned both Nikki Haley and her fellow South Carolina Republican candidate Tim Scott by name. Both fired back.
Haley rebuked the 44th President with the following:
“[Barack Obama] set minorities back by singling them out as victims instead of empowering them. In America, hard work & personal responsibility matter. My parents didn’t raise me to think that I would forever be a victim. They raised me to know that I was responsible for my success.”
Minority voting varies massively across the different demographics, though they generally lean Democrat as a whole bloc. African-Americans are the most uniformly Democratic, with 87% voting for Biden in 2020. Black women are more Democrat than black men by an increasing margin.
Hispanic-Americans are turning to the Republican Party more frequently, though it also does depend on the country of origin/ancestry. Cuban-Americans, especially those in Florida, tend to be Republican due to their thoughts towards their homeland. Hispanics of other national origins still stick to the Democrats for the most part.
Asian-Americans are still generally Democrat, though this again depends on their specific ethnicity. Vietnamese-Americans lean Republican. A study has shown that younger Asian-Americans are less likely to support the Democrats than their elders, but the votes are still up for grabs.
At the end of the day, ethnic minorities are not a monolithic voting bloc, so politicians, including Haley, need to work on a real strategy to attract their votes.
Haley wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post about Biden’s foreign policy. In the piece, Haley said that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken should ask five particular questions on his visit. The questions are:
- Why is China preparing for war?
- Why is China abusing our economy?
- Why is China infiltrating America?
- Why is China infiltrating the Western hemisphere?
- Why shouldn’t the United States double down on supporting Taiwan?
June 17
Today was the anniversary of the tragic 2015 Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. Haley was Governor at the time. She tweeted her condolences.
Haley’s husband Michael deployed today for a year-long tour in Africa. They’re headed to Djibouti. We wish him a safe tour.
Polls have Haley at 4.2%.
June 18
A quiet day for Haley.
Haley was on the offensive this week. Issues tackled included China, the energy crisis, and the justice system. She seemed to be emphasising foreign policy, unsurprising considering Secretary of State Blinken has just headed to Beijing for talks.
Will Russia, China and Iran be Haley‘s personal “axis of evil?”