Haley to stump for Youngkin in Virginia

Potential 2024 Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is set to campaign with Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin in the commonwealth next week. 

Youngkin’s campaign confirmed the news to The Hill on Thursday. 

“Glenn Youngkin has what it takes to get Virginia moving again. He’s an experienced businessman and problem solver who will create jobs and opportunity, improve schools and deliver results for the people of Virginia,” Haley, the U.S.’s United Nations ambassador under former President Trump, told ABC News in a statement Thursday. 

Haley, who will join Youngkin in Richmond on Tuesday and northern Virginia on Wednesday, is one of the most high-profile national Republicans that has come to campaign in Virginia ahead of the gubernatorial race in November. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R ) traveled to the commonwealth to campaign with Youngkin ahead of Virginia’s Republican convention earlier this year. 

Youngkin said in a statement to ABC News that Haley’s visit demonstrates “that Virginia really is ground zero this year.” 

The development comes as the race between Youngkin and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has heated up since McAuliffe won his party’s nomination last month. Polls show a right race between the two candidates. A JMS Analytics survey released last month showed McAuliffe leading Youngkin 46 to 42 percent within the poll’s 4.2-point margin of error. Meanwhile, a poll from the right-leaning firm WPA Intelligence showed McAuliffe leading Youngkin 48 percent to 46 percent. That poll had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.