Key allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa hammered his Republican presidential primary rival Nikki Haley on Wednesday after she appeared to smear Iowa voters, less than two weeks before that state casts the first ballots of the 2024 campaign.
During a speech in New Hampshire, which votes after Iowa, Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, told the crowd, “You know, Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it … and then my sweet state of South Carolina brings it home.” That was according to a post on X by ABC News political reporter Kelsey Walsh.
South Carolina votes third in the GOP lineup.
Read: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Passes Florida Gov. DeSantis In National Polling
Haley was apparently referring to recent polls that showed her massively trailing former President Donald Trump in Iowa, but closing on the 45th president in New Hampshire.
Some of DeSantis’ top supporters in Iowa, where the Florida Republican seeks a breakthrough victory to chip away at Trump’s overwhelming lead, were not amused by Haley’s reference to New Hampshire Republicans having to “correct” the initial contest.
“I trust Iowans to make their own decisions. No ‘corrections’ needed!” Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds said on X. Reynolds has endorsed DeSantis.
Influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats, another DeSantis backer, added on X, “These comments by @NikkiHaley are very telling regarding her status in Iowa. And, this admission of getting beat in the Hawkeye state gives Chrystal (sic) clear clarity and renewed conviction to Iowans as they Caucus for @RonDeSantis on January 15.”
The X account DeSantis War Room, the governor’s media response team, also noted on the platform, “Wow, Nikki Haley just attacked every single Iowa caucusgoer — saying their votes will need to be corrected.”
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Meanwhile, Haley continued to have a tough day of campaigning on Wednesday.
Haley in two separate media interviews continued to try to clarify her remarks from last week that slavery was not a key issue during the Civil War. “I was overthinking it and I shouldn’t have,” she told Newsmax.
Moreover, in response to a voter’s question in New Hampshire, she also failed again to explicitly rule out accepting a vice presidential slot from Trump if he becomes the GOP.
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