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Former President Donald Trump dubbed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, as "Nikki New Taxes" amid polls showing her gaining significant ground for the Republican presidential nomination.
“KISS OF DEATH: Nikki New Taxes,” an email from Trump's campaign committee stated on Friday (December 29) via the New York Post. “The truth is finally coming out about Nikki Haley’s troublesome record showing her total disdain for the working class and a willingness to sell out to lobbyist parasites,” the email read.
The nickname came eight days after Haley, a former ally turned political rival who served as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, was reportedly favored by 29% of likely GOP voters in the state of New Hampshire, which will hold the first primary election -- following the Iowa caucus -- on January 23, 2024, according to a new poll released by American Research Group, Inc. Trump, 77, still leads all candidates at 33%, however, the 4% projected margin is the smallest between the former president and any other Republican candidate to date.
Trump also holds a 33% to 32% edge over Haley among voters who said they would definitely turn out for the January 23 primary. Haley has recently gained momentum as the alternative to Trump, receiving an endorsement from the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Action in November, who claimed she “offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat [President] Joe Biden next November.”
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also encouraged wealthy business leaders to support Haley as a way to "get a choice on the Republican side that might be better than Trump" the day after the AFP Action endorsement.
"The more voters hear from Nikki Haley, the more they like her,” said Ashley Davis, vice chair of Winning for Women Action Fund, a Republican super PAC intended to support the election of conservative women, in a statement obtained by USA TODAY last month. “Her conservative record and positive vision are clearly resonating, and she's ridden that momentum into second place in critical early states.”