[News Figure] Haley, Former Ambassador Rising as Trump Challenger

Ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has rapidly emerged as a candidate capable of stopping former President Donald Trump's dominance in the Republican primary race.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (left) is speaking next to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the third Republican presidential primary debate held in Miami, Florida, on the 8th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In a New Hampshire poll released on the 17th (local time) by The Washington Post (WP) and Monmouth University, Haley secured 18% support, ranking second behind Trump, who had 46%. She firmly claimed the second spot by leading former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who had been in a close race until recently, by 7 percentage points.

In the Republican presidential race, the primaries held in Iowa and New Hampshire in January next year are crucial. This is because candidates who win or stand out in the Iowa caucuses on January 15 and the New Hampshire primary scheduled for the 23rd often receive media attention and become the party’s final nominee.

Born into an Indian immigrant family, she majored in accounting in college and developed an interest in business and politics while helping at her mother’s clothing store, Exotica International, which sells traditional Indian attire. At the age of 32 in 2004, she was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, emerging as a rising star. Later, at 39 in 2011, she was elected as the youngest governor of South Carolina and successfully won re-election. She was the first female governor of South Carolina and the second governor of Indian descent.

During the Trump administration, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018. Emphasizing tax cuts on property, like Trump, she earned the nickname “Trump Mini-Me.” However, unlike Trump, she took a strong stance against racial discrimination issues. After the Charleston black church shooting on June 17, 2015, she led efforts to remove the Confederate flag, which sparked nationwide recognition, and she openly criticized Trump’s harsh remarks on illegal immigrants.

One point that is always mentioned when talking about Haley is that she is a Sikh. Sikhism, which originated in northern India in the 15th century as a fusion of Hinduism and Islam, is characterized by its rejection of caste distinctions, unlike Hinduism. After marriage, she converted to Christianity following her husband and attends a Methodist church, but she also participates in Sikh worship services.