politics
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley is releasing the delegates she won on this 12 months's Republican primary to support Donald Trump on the party's convention next week, a move she hopes will cement Republican support for the presumptive nominee.
On Tuesday, Haley decided to announce the 97 delegate votes she won in a dozen primaries and caucuses earlier this 12 months, in keeping with her former campaign team.
In a press release, the previous South Carolina governor and UN ambassador called for party unity on the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. She also called Democratic President Joe Biden “unfit to serve a second term” and said that Vice President Kamala Harris – who Haley has repeatedly suggested could turn into president in Biden's place – “would be a disaster for America.”
“We need a president who will hold our enemies accountable, secure our borders, reduce our debt and get our economy back on track,” Haley said. “I encourage my delegates to support Donald Trump next week in Milwaukee.”
According to spokesman Chaney Denton, Haley is not going to be in Milwaukee next week.
“She wasn't invited and that's fine with her,” Denton said. “Trump deserves the convention he wants. She's made it clear she'll vote for him and wishes him the best.”
Haley was the last major Republican rival to Trump when she suspended her own campaign after Trump's victory on Super Tuesday, accusing him of making chaos and disregarding the importance of American alliances abroad.
Trump, for his part, repeatedly mocked her with the nickname “bird brain,” but scaled back those attacks after winning enough delegates in March to likely turn into the Republican nominee.
Trump's campaign team didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on Haley's move, which was first reported by Politico.
The Republican National Committee follows each state's rules on the delegates promised to candidates who drop out of the race, so it’s going to be a patchwork of state-by-state rules that determine exactly what’s going to occur to Haley's delegates.
Biden's campaign has tried to win over supporters they see as true swing voters, but Haley said in May she would solid her vote for Trump, leaving the previous president to hunt support from her supporters.
image credit : www.boston.com