Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley secured her first endorsement for president from the upper chamber on Friday with Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s support.
The senator, who was first elected to the upper chamber in 2002, previously suggested she’d vote for West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who previously floated a third-party run, instead of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Murkowski endorsed Haley ahead of her home state’s Republican caucus on Super Tuesday, March 5, according to the press release.
“I’m proud to endorse Gov. Nikki Haley,” Murkowski said in a statement. “America needs someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next President—and in this race, there is no one better than her. Nikki will be a strong leader and uphold the ideals of the Republican Party while serving as a President for all Americans.”
Haley also has the support from Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
“I’m grateful to Sen. Murkowski for her support and leadership,” Haley said in a statement. “Sen. Murkowski represents the best of Alaska—she is a trailblazer and a strong, independent voice who doesn’t bow down to the powers that be in Washington. As president, I will fight to make Alaskans—and all Americans—proud by restoring fiscal sanity, energy dominance, and limited government.”
Trump has the support from over half of the Republican Senate delegation, including Senate Minority Whip John Thune, Senate GOP Conference Chairman John Barrasso and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines. The former president has also been endorsed by House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and the rest of the lower chamber’s GOP leadership.
Haley has yet to notch a win in the Republican primary against Trump. The former governor came in third place in Iowa; second place in New Hampshire, the U.S. Virgin Islands, South Carolina and Michigan; and lost to the “None of These Candidates” ballot option in the Nevada primary, which did not count for delegates.
Trump is currently ahead of Haley anywhere from 41 to 77 points in major Super Tuesday states including Alabama, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, according to a Morning Consult survey released Feb. 7.
Despite calls for Haley to drop out and Republicans to unite around the former president as the nominee, she maintains she isn’t going anywhere.
Mary Lou Masters on March 1, 2024
