Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has attracted the attention of some heavyweights in the business world as her debate performances and a surge in the polls have elevated her candidacy and could position her as the alternative to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Haley could possibly mount a challenge for the nomination if she could convince voters that she is the only credible alternative to Trump, a strategist told Newsweek. If she does well in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina, she could be a threat.
"If she finished second in each, she can make the case that other GOP presidential aspirants should drop out early so she can go head-to-head with Donald Trump," Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek.
The primary voting is set to kick off in a little over a month at the Iowa caucuses in January, and Haley's ascendancy has caught the attention of some top Wall Street executives and business leaders, who are searching for alternatives to Trump.
After Haley's debate performances, a recent Wall Street Journal poll showed that the former United Nations ambassador under Trump has catapulted to second place behind the former president and ahead of the one-time favorite Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The former president is still the favorite to clinch the GOP nomination and potentially face President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election. Trump boasted 59 percent of Republican support, according to the most recent Wall Street Journal poll, while Haley is second with 15 percent—a seven-point improvement from September—followed by DeSantis at 14 percent. The poll was conducted between November 29 and December 4.
Haley's momentum looks to have drawn the attention of some influential figures in corporate America. Last week, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said he had been talking to Haley and urged Democrats to support her.
"If you are a very liberal Democrat, I urge you [to] help Nikki Haley, too. Get a choice on the Republican side that might be better than Trump," Dimon said.
Meanwhile, Haley also scored the endorsement of the influential conservative advocacy group connected with the billionaire brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch.
"When we announced our decision to engage in our first-ever Republican presidential primary, we made it clear that we'd be looking for a candidate who can turn the page on our political dysfunction—and win. It's clear that candidate is Nikki Haley," Emily Seidel, a senior advisor to AFP Action, said in the organization's endorsement announcement.
"Nikki Haley represents a new generation of leadership and offers a bold, positive vision for our future."
Reid Hoffman co-founder of social media professional networking platform LinkedIn, who in the past has supported Democratic candidates, donated a quarter-million dollars to a pro-Haley political action committee, his political advisor Dmitri Mehlhorn confirmed to Newsweek.
Mehlhorn pointed to Hoffman's comments to Barron's to explain his support for Haley, whom he called an "institutionalist" in contrast to Trump.
"I will support her, too, because I'm fundamentally first and foremost, an American, a believer in our system, a believer in our Constitution, a believer in our democracy, a believer in coming together and working on these problems together," he said. "Nikki Haley versus Joe Biden, I'm going to donate to Joe Biden."
Hoffman and Dimon aren't the only business leaders who appear impressed by Haley. Gary Cohn, former president of investment bank Goldman Sachs who served in the Trump administration, co-hosted a Haley fundraiser recently.
A spokesperson told Newsweek that Cohn has co-hosted events for Haley and other candidates to hear about their economic policies.
"Gary is a leading economic voice in the country, and he is interested in giving candidates a chance to have their policy platforms heard and to have a discussion on smart economic policies," the spokesperson said. "He has hosted several such events and will continue to watch the democratic process unfold."
During the Republican debate on Wednesday night, Haley was asked about the business world's support of her candidacy.
"We will take support from anybody we can take support from," Haley said. "But I have been a conservative fighter all my life. I was a Tea Party candidate when I became governor. We opposed every single corporate bailout we possibly could."
She suggested that the support will not shape her policies.
"When it comes to these corporate people that suddenly want to support us, we'll take it. I don't ask them what their policies are, they ask me what my policies are and I tell them what it is," Haley said. "Sometimes they agree with me, sometimes they don't."
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, another GOP presidential candidate, suggested that the support Haley has attracted from the corporate world was "corrupt."
Haley responded by saying that those critical of her support from the business community were jealous.
"They wish they were supporting them," she quipped.
Newsweek reached out to the Haley and Trump campaigns via email on Thursday for comment.
Update 12/8/23, 3:55 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include a comment from Gary Cohn's spokesperson.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Omar Mohammed is a Newsweek reporter based in the Greater Boston area. His focus is reporting on the Economy and ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
