Never refer to Nikki Haley as moderate. She doesn’t even want to use it to describe herself.
Less than two weeks have passed since Haley declared herself a contender. Nevertheless, the media is already portraying the conflict as one in which hardliners like former President Trump — and, whenever he enters the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — are in one lane and she is in another.
Trump and DeSantis are said to speak for the GOP’s right-wing, MAGA-leaning faction. Haley has been portrayed as a centrist of some sort.
According to CNN, she had previously been able to “appeal to [Trump’s] more moderate detractors.” According to Forbes, she is “a more moderate option to the former president.” Her message will resonate with some moderate suburban women voters, claims a blogger for the Council on Foreign Relations.
The final statement may be accurate, but not as a result of Haley’s policies. She has a temperamental evenness that the previous president blatantly lacks and prefers a conversational tone over a belligerent one, which may be the source of her possibly special attraction.
Hence, she scarcely qualifies as a moderate. Her views differ from those of moderate candidates who are considering running, such as former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R). She also doesn’t criticize Trump as harshly as Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, another potential candidate (R).
Her friendly manner blends well with adamantly conservative themes and proposals in her stump speeches.
She made an event in Marion, Iowa, on Tuesday night, and The Hill reported it. Her main points were those of the right-wing, populist GOP of the day.
