A person familiar with Nikki Haley’s preparations tells NPR that the former governor of South Carolina and member of the Trump administration is getting ready to run for president in 2024. Haley’s desire to run was initially announced by the publication Post & Courier.
Her plans are anticipated to be described in a note sent to supporters on Wednesday.
The Republican will face off against former President Donald Trump for the first time in a GOP primary. Trump declared a second run for the presidency last year. Haley resigned from her position as Trump’s ambassador to the UN in 2018 after nearly two years in office.
Before joining the Trump administration, Haley served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, when she resigned to accept the position at the U.N. As South Carolina’s first female governor, Haley made history.
Haley has been touring the nation since she left the Trump administration, paying particular attention to early-voting states. She also published a memoir about her time working with the former president.
Haley recently strayed from her usual position, advocating for a new generation of leadership in the Republican Party in an appearance on Fox News that she later posted on Twitter. In 2021, Haley stated she wouldn’t run for president if Trump ran again.
It’s time for a new generation.
It’s time for new leadership.
And it’s time to take our country back.America is worth the fight—and we’re just getting started. pic.twitter.com/L93Q6WirzD
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 21, 2023
Haley refrained from confirming a presidential campaign during that Jan. 20 appearance on the Fox News show Hannity. Still, she did point out one of the difficulties that any Republican contender will face in a general election: the popular vote.
“We have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president,” Haley said. “It is time we get a Republican in there that can lead and win a general election.”
On February 15 in Charleston, South Carolina, Haley is set to launch her presidential candidacy officially.