GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley on how she will beat Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, asked at a town hall in Salem, New Hampshire how she can beat former President Donald Trump, spotlights her emphasis on retail politics.
EXCLUSIVE – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley brought in more than $11 million in fundraising during the first six weeks of her campaign, according to figures shared first with Fox News on Wednesday.
Haley’s campaign highlighted her grassroots support, noting that the former two-term South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during former President Trump’s administration received 70,000 donations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with 67,000 of those contributions under $200.
Haley declared her candidacy in mid-February, and her report includes money raised through the end of the first quarter of 2023 fundraising, which concluded on March 31.
"In just six weeks, Nikki Haley’s massive fundraising and active retail campaigning in early voting states makes her a force to be reckoned with," said Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney. "Voters and donors are clearly responding to Nikki’s conservative message and her call for a new generation of leadership to make America strong and proud."
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Former ambassador to the United Nations and former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, holds a town hall in Salem, New Hampshire, on March 28, 2023. (Fox News )
Haley’s $11 million outpaces the $9.5 million Trump raised during the first six weeks of his 2024 campaign, from his launch in mid-November through the end of the fourth quarter of 2022 fundraising at the end of the year. Trump has yet to report his first quarter of 2023 fundraising figures, but his campaign highlighted that he brought in $8 million in the first four days following his indictment in New York City last Thursday. Roughly half of Trump's haul came after the end of the first quarter.
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Haley’s campaign spotlighted that their candidate’s fundraising also outpaced nearly all the GOP presidential contenders running in the crowded 2016 nomination race during their first quarters as official candidates.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks to supporters as she launches her 2024 White House campaign, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Charleston, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
According to the campaign, Haley headed into April with $7.8 million cash on hand in her coffers, with South Carolina, Florida and Texas as her top three fundraising states. Fundraising, along with public opinion polling, is a key metric in determining a candidate’s strength and grassroots appeal. Additionally, fundraising dollars can be used to build up candidate’s campaign structure and to pay for travel and ads.
Haley’s team pointed out that during the first six weeks of her campaign, she also held 19 events in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
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While Haley and the rest of the field of actual and potential Republican White House contenders remain far behind Trump in the latest 2024 GOP nomination polls, Haley told Fox News following a town hall in New Hampshire last week that her emphasis on candidate-to-voter, retail style politics can help her capture her party’s presidential nomination.
Nikki Haley announced her 2024 bid for President in Charleston, South Carolina, in front of a crowd of several hundred supporters. (Fox News)
Apparently taking aim at Trump without naming him, Haley said that she is "not going to focus on doing big rallies… You have to go and answer the hard questions. You have to go face-to-face. You can’t fly in and fly out. I believe the American people want you to earn their vote."
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Annie Dickerson, one of Haley’s major donors and the founder and chair of Winning for Women PAC, noted that she has seen Haley "in action both at donor events and on the ground in Iowa, and her ability to connect with people continues to impress me. Nikki puts in the time and the hard work; she shakes every hand, takes every picture, and answers every question."
Bill Strong, a Florida-based donor, pointing to Haley's resume and electoral track record, noted that "Nikki is the only one with executive and foreign policy experience and a proven track record of winning tough races."
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