WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Nikki Haley said Wednesday she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, encouraging the presumptive GOP nominee to work hard to win support from those who backed her in the primary.
Haley, however, stopped short of an official endorsement of the former president as the two candidates were sharply critical of each other during the primary.
The former U.N. ambassador commented during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
Haley’s Momentum
Haley is still picking up a healthy amount of votes, enough to get the attention of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
Nikki Haley is perhaps the highest-profile Republican in the nation who has refused to fall in line and endorse Trump’s presidential bid.
It’s unclear, however, how long that might last.
The Haley/Trump relationship in the coming months will be closely watched not just by her supporters, but also by allies of Trump and President Joe Biden.
Haley won more than 20% of the vote in Maryland, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Nebraska. Her continued support from moderate Republicans and Democrats could spell trouble for the Trump campaign, which has struggled to woo these independent Haley voters to his side.
Biden is also seeing his protest vote play out as progressive voters opposed to his steadfast support of Israel and its war in Gaza continue to vote “undecided.” So far, the “undecided” vote has yielded 35 delegates.
While some Republicans who supported Haley will likely vote for Trump, the Biden campaign is working to win over her supporters, viewing them as true swing voters.
Impact on Biden
Biden’s team, according to the Associated Press, is quietly organizing a Republicans for Biden group, which will eventually include dedicated staff and focus on the hundreds of thousands of Haley voters in each battleground state, according to people familiar with the plans but not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The Democratic president hasn’t kept his intentions a secret.
Biden issued a statement thanking Haley for her courage to challenge Trump just minutes after she bowed out of the primary race in March.
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
