"Trump is More Disliked": Republican Haley Supporters Turn to Harris

On the 20th (local time), The Guardian reported that some conservative voters who supported former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in the US Republican presidential primary are organizing to help elect Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.

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According to the report, some Haley supporters see Vice President Harris as a "better choice" than former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and have formed a political action group called "Haley Voters for Harris."

Craig Snyder, the campaign manager of this group, explained that the group was formed after seeing people continue to support former Ambassador Haley even though she was no longer a candidate in the primary. Haley was the last candidate to remain in the Republican primary, competing against former President Trump. Conservative voters who supported Haley expressed their opposition to Trump by casting votes for Haley even in the primary after she had dropped out.

Snyder, who is also a registered Republican, said, "When we voted in the primary, we wanted to send a message that this is not the Republican Party we want," adding, "The Trump era must end." He explained, "Those of us in this group may disagree with the Democrats on certain policy issues, but we thought it was a better choice to continue opposing Trump by voting for the Democrats," and "When President Joe Biden decided to resign, we decided to continue on that path and support Vice President Harris."

John Jack Merritt, a registered Republican who describes himself as center-right, said, "I felt tremendous disillusionment with the polarization of the two parties in the US," and "I chose the side with fewer problems." He added, "I'm looking for someone who can really govern, not based on ideological standards."

Earlier, although Haley expressed support for former President Trump after withdrawing, she mentioned that it was Trump's responsibility to rally her supporters. Haley's supporters are generally highly educated, moderate, and tend not to prefer Trump. This is why the Biden campaign posted ads and messages targeting Haley's supporters, saying, "There is a place for you in my campaign," after Haley withdrew from the primary.

The key question is whether the conservative-leaning supporters of former Ambassador Haley will ultimately vote for the Democratic candidate rather than the Republican Party in the upcoming November presidential election. Snyder said, "They (Haley supporters) have already left the Republican camp," and "We want to help them cross the last mile (to vote for the Democratic candidate)." However, he also acknowledged that it would not be easy for lifelong Republicans to vote for the Democrats. He said, "There may be policy disagreements between the voters and the Harris-Walz campaign, but there will be no fundamental disagreement on moral values."

Emily Matthews, co-chair of the 'Haley Voters Working Group,' a coalition of Haley supporters and volunteers, also expressed hope that Vice President Harris and Minnesota Governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz would share visible policy shifts toward the center through the Democratic National Convention and continue to reach out to discontented Republicans and moderate voters.

Meanwhile, Haley's lawyer sent a letter last month to the 'Haley Voters for Harris' group, requesting them to cease support. This was based on the judgment that such activities could be seen as implying that Haley supports Vice President Harris in the presidential election. The Guardian reported that the letter did not stop the group's activities. Snyder said, "We have never misrepresented Haley's position on the presidential election (supporting former President Trump)," and "We are simply reflecting the Haley voters who have decided to vote for Vice President Harris."