US Republican Haley Attracts More Funds... Q4 Donations Double

Ranking Second in Approval Ratings in Some Surveys

In the US Republican presidential primary, Nikki Haley, former UN Ambassador who has emerged as a challenger to former President Donald Trump, is receiving a surge of campaign donations.

Hailey, Former UN Ambassador
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 3rd (local time), the Haley campaign announced that the total fundraising amount for the fourth quarter of last year reached $24 million (approximately 31.4 billion KRW). During this period, a total of 83,900 new donors contributed to Haley's campaign funds. In the third quarter of last year, Haley raised $11 million (approximately 1.44 billion KRW), so the donations more than doubled in just one quarter.

Former US President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have not yet disclosed their fundraising details. Trump raised $45 million (approximately 5.9 billion KRW) in the third quarter of last year. Governor DeSantis raised $15 million (approximately 1.97 billion KRW). Candidates must disclose their previous quarter’s fundraising details by the end of this month.

Moderate conservatives within the Republican Party are paying attention to Haley’s rapid rise as a challenger to Trump. Recent polls show Haley overtaking Governor DeSantis to claim second place. Last month in New Hampshire, the average support rates by candidate were 44.1% for Trump and 25.7% for Haley. Governor DeSantis trailed at 7.6%, behind former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (11.1%). However, New Hampshire has a high proportion of moderate Republican voters.

Haley and DeSantis are expected to continue their fierce competition for the position of Trump’s main challenger. According to the political analysis site FiveThirtyEight, as of the morning of this day, Trump held an overwhelming lead with a national average polling support of 61.3%, followed by DeSantis and Haley tied for second place at 11.3% each. In the afternoon, DeSantis edged ahead with an average support of 12.1% compared to Haley’s 11.2%, but the previous day Haley had briefly taken sole possession of second place.

Haley and DeSantis are scheduled to face off in a CNN-hosted debate in Iowa next week ahead of the party convention on the 15th.