GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Monday night that she offers the only path to avoid a “Trump-Biden nightmare” rematch in November — even after a likely third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
“Our campaign is the last, best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare,” Haley said in a speech following the caucuses. “But it’s more than that. Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. That’s nothing to be proud of.”
The former U.N. ambassador then said her party should want to “earn the support of a majority of Americans.”
According to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, Haley came in third in Iowa behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Election returns from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill show Haley earning 19.1 percent of the Hawkeye State’s caucus vote, closely following DeSantis, who earned 21.2 percent. However, both of them were handily beaten by former President Trump, who was at 51 percent.
The battle for the GOP nomination heads to New Hampshire next, where Haley is only 11.1 points behind the former president in Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s New Hampshire polling average. She also has the endorsement of the New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R).
“Thank you, Iowa!” Haley said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter early Tuesday morning. “You’re faithful, patriotic & hardworking, and I’m grateful to each of you! Now it’s on to New Hampshire, where this campaign is the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden rematch that no one wants. We offer America a better choice.”
In the wake of Trump’s Iowa win, the former president said he was feeling “invigorated” by the competition.
“It really is an honor that, minutes after, they’ve announced I’ve won—against very credibly competition — great competition, actually,” Trump said.