‘I’m going to keep fighting,’ says Nikki Haley as she looks to swing Utah voters

Got a push from our app? Here’s 👇  our reporter Eric Cabrera describing Nikki Haley’s visit to UVU today!

 

SALT LAKE CITY — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley visited Utah Wednesday, hoping to garner support just a day after former President Donald Trump took another win in the Michigan Primary.

According to a Deseret News Hinckley Institute of Politics Poll conducted last month, nearly half of registered Republican voters in Utah said if the primary were held at that time, they would vote for former President Donald Trump. 

Meanwhile, just 22% said they would vote for Haley. However, it is important to note that Ron Desantis was still in the race at the time.

Utah marks the fifth state since Sunday where Haley is making a stop as she looks to gain some ground on the former president ahead of Super Tuesday.

The former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador sat down for a roundtable Q&A with the editorial board for KSL and the Deseret News before heading to her sold-out rally at Utah Valley University.

Wanting to avoid Trump/Biden round 2

“I strongly believe that we can do better than two 80-year-old candidates,” Haley told the board.

Haley claimed around 70% of Americans don’t want another general election between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

She said, so long as that’s the case, “I’m going to keep fighting.”

“You’d have months of people complaining that Joe Biden is calling his opponents fascists and Donald Trump is calling his opponents vermin,” Haley said. “I’m trying to give people a choice, and I think they deserve that.”

To Trump voters

Haley also addressed the overwhelming support the former president has garnered at the polls in primary elections around the country, saying she doesn’t judge people who do like Trump.

“You can like him all you want. I voted for Trump twice. I was proud to serve America in his administration,” Haley said. “But the reality is, he will not win a general election. That’s a fact.”

“You can’t have 30 to 40% of the vote in every one of these early states…he’s not picking up independents, he’s not picking up the women that he’s lost,” Haley said.

Haley took her belief about the former president’s chances in a general election a step further.

“I truly believe…there will be a female president of The United States. It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris,” Haley said. “If Donald Trump is the nominee, we can all welcome a President Kamala Harris.”

Her message

Haley said her campaign is about, “restoring America,” with a focus on faith, family, country.

“It’s about our kids…grandkids, it’s what generational change we are going to see and are we going to be a part of that solution,” Haley said.

She also said it’s about bringing back decency.

“We can strongly disagree, that’s healthy, but we don’t have to hate each other to do it,” Haley said.

“The reason I’m running is because I believe that Americans deserve a choice,” Haley said. “I’m not giving up.”

Related: 

• Lt. Gov. Henderson, First Lady Abby Cox endorse Nikki Haley for 2024 election
• Utah Republican Party opts out of 2024 presidential primary
• University of Utah to host a 2024 presidential debate