Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. Ilustre
Is Nikki Haley, former Ambassador to the United Nations, the first female governor of South Carolina, and one of Time’s 100 most influential people in 2016, getting ready to run for president in 2024? Politico, the top political news site based in the nation’s capital, reported all signs point to it.
Politico noted that since Haley resigned from her position as ambassador to the UN, she has balanced the humdrum of life after politics “with the forward-looking calculations of somebody who may run for president in the future.”
When the Republican political superstar stepped down from the UN in November last year, The State in Columbia, South Carolina also reported Haley is considered a potential presidential candidate, “possibly as early as 2024.”
The Politico article by Eliana Johnson on May 30 noted how she has adjusted in her political life after her UN stint. It enumerated her growing public role as a loyal Republican soldier in the 2020 campaign trail. Haley has quietly raised half a million dollars for four Republican female senators running for reelection in 2020. In June, she began to have more public fundraising events and other engagements. She is also a surrogate campaigner for Republican senators and other candidates.
Politico, citing sources, also reported talks between Haley and Trump, as well as senior adviser Jared Kushner, about joining the president on the campaign trail.
Haley has likewise written a memoir, “With All Due Respect,” coming out in fall, according to Politico. She is active on the speaker’s circuit, earning as much as $200,000 per speech. Last February, she founded an issue-advocacy group, Stand for America.
Haley’s bright future
Jonathan Melegrito, a Filipino American civil rights leader, sees a bright future for Haley, the Republican political superstar whose parents migrated to the U.S. from India. The media reported Haley was born Nimrata Randhawa on January 20, 1972 to an Indian American Sikh family in South Carolina. Her father was a former university professor. Her mother was a law graduate from the University of Delhi. The couple moved to Canada on a scholarship offer to her father.
Civil rights advocate Melegrito replied on June 5 to a question whether Haley would be a viable presidential candidate in 2024. His keen political antennae can be traced to his experience in national campaigns and advocacy work, as well as his media background as Manila Mail editor.
Remarked Melegrito, who is a true-blue Democrat and who has worked in Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaigns: “Nikki Haley is an attractive candidate who can appeal to independents and conservative Democrats. The South Asians will of course rally behind her, and so will Vietnamese Americans, who have traditionally voted Republican in high numbers. She can potentially head the Republican ticket if the party is ready for a woman president.”
As someone who ran for an elective office herself, served in appointive positions and still does, and also is a successful business owner, Vellie Dietrich-Hall also brings a keen insight into Haley’s chances when she runs for president.
“Nikki Haley has excellent state, national and international experience. She is well-educated, astute, tough, and is known for speaking her mind,” Dietrich-Hall emailed on June 19.
“Haley definitely has a great chance to win for the following reasons: She gained in-depth experience as a Governor. She came up with a budget plan and successfully implemented it. She also enticed investors, created jobs and overall, improved the economy of South Carolina. Her experience as a UN Ambassador equipped her to help shape and advance foreign policies and to tackle national security issues.”
Dietrich-Hall ran for Supervisor of Fairfax Board. Currently, she is a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. She served in the White Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the two terms of President George W. Bush. She is also the Founding President and Chairman of the Board of the Filipino American Republicans of Virginia (FARV).
Dietrich-Hall added: “The year 2024 is the best year for a woman President who can unite all voters. Haley can easily attract Republicans, Democrats and independent voters. Being Asian, she understands immigrants’ perspectives and she knows from personal experience how hard work means to families. Haley’s family is a picture of what America is today. Being married to a Caucasian gives her additional insight and enables her to reach out to other voters throughout the country.” Haley is married to National Guard officer Michael Haley, and they have two teenaged children.
Asked who would make an excellent running mate for Haley, she replied: “Senator Marco Rubio would be an excellent running mate. Rubio can attract the Hispanic vote and can close the gap among the undecided voters. His experience will further enhance Haley’s experience, talents and other assets.”
A Republican Asian American leader, asked for comment, had not responded by press time. Another apologetically admitted unfamiliarity with Haley, but this will soon change. As Politico reported, Haley, 47, has been actively raising her public profile in a calibrated, forward-looking way.
Presidential or VP material
Haley’s political star has been widely acknowledged by Republican leaders, pundits, and the Mainstream Media. When she resigned from the UN in October last year, The State in Columbia, South Carolina, ran a story titled “Nikki Haley could be Trump’s VP in 2020. Here’s why.”
The story by Bristow Marchant quoted a New York Times article which cited sources that named Haley as a potential running mate for President Trump in the 2020 election. But the president, stressing his close relationship with Vice President Pence, tweeted the Times article was a “phony story.”
The State report noted being part of the 2020 Republican Party’s national ticket could help Haley’s political chances in the future. It added Haley herself is considered a potential presidential candidate, “possibly as early as 2024.”
In 2012, when Mitt Romney ran for president, he considered Haley as his vice-presidential running mate. The media reported Haley would have turned the offer down. Her reason: She made a promise to the people of South Carolina to serve as governor, and she intended to keep it.
Haley’s Career
Haley has experience as an elected and appointed official. She is battle-tested, surviving negative campaigns. She was elected governor of South Carolina on November 2, 2010. The media reported an endorsement from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin three weeks before the primary helped when she was polling last among candidates. She handily won a second term in 2014.
A Fox article reported Haley drew national attention when she had a Confederate flag, perceived as a symbol of racism, moved out of the State Capitol due to public outcry. This was a result of a tragedy that involved Dylann Roof, a white man, who opened fire during a bible study session, killing nine African Americans.
Regarding immigration policies, Haley voted in favor of a law requiring employers to be able to prove that new employees are legal residents of the United States, and also requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving their legal status.
Haley also served as ambassador to the UN. When he nominated her for the UN post in 2016, President Trump called Haley a “proven deal-maker,” adding she had a “track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation,” according to Fox News.
Notably, Haley is the only cabinet official who exited from the administration on her own terms and still enjoying Trump’s good graces. At the end of her UN term, he graciously invited her at the Oval Office.
The media noted that this is remarkable, considering that Trump was not Haley’s choice in the presidential primary, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was. At the UN, Fox reported an outspoken Haley strongly supported Trump’s position on Iran and North Korea, which were developing nuclear programs. But Fox noted she also contradicted Trump and other administration officials at times: She was “highly critical of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” describing it as “warfare.”
Indeed, Haley has constantly demonstrated that she would stand by her principles, and she’s unafraid to speak truth to power. On March 15, 2017, Haley told the “Today” morning show she would not support a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. She said she did not believe “we should ever ban anyone based on their religion” adding a Muslim ban would be “un-American.”.
The May 30, 2019 Politico article noted Haley “left some raw feelings at the State Department and the White House” because she insisted on keeping her independence. Her memoir recalls an incident in April 2018 when Haley publicly announced plans for new U.S. sanctions on Russia. A White House official commented she had suffered “momentary confusion” adding the president had not yet made a decision. Haley’s swift reply: “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”
