Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley announced that she would vote for former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election, prompting the Biden campaign to hold a virtual meeting with her supporters. The meeting included members of Haley’s former state leadership team and the “Women for Nikki” coalition, who joined from across the country. The meeting was organized by the executive director of the anti-Trump Haley Voters Working Group, Richard Schwartz. The Biden campaign’s deputy political director, Juan Peñalosa, emphasized the importance of Haley supporters in defeating Trump and acknowledged the policy disagreements they may have with Biden.
Despite dropping out of the presidential race earlier in the year, Haley still garnered hundreds of thousands of votes across multiple Republican primaries, particularly in key swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In the Pennsylvania Republican primary, over 157,000 people voted for Haley, representing about 16% of the total share of votes. In Wisconsin, she received almost 13% of the GOP primary vote, totaling close to 77,000 votes. Biden narrowly won both states in 2020, but his margin of victory was slim. Schwartz shared a list of priorities for Haley supporters with the Biden campaign, such as supporting Israel and addressing the crisis at the U.S. southern border.
Following Haley’s announcement that she would vote for Trump, some of her supporters expressed that they were not necessarily aligned with that decision. One former Haley volunteer, Alissa Baker, who is a member of the working group, stated that she remains opposed to Trump and will make her own decision on how to vote in November. The Biden campaign emphasized its collaboration with the Haley Voters Working Group, stating that they are investing efforts to engage with moderate Republican and independent voters who may be open to supporting Biden.
The Biden campaign’s collaboration with the Haley Voters Working Group reflects a strategic effort to engage with Republican voters who may not align with Trump but are not fully on board with Biden either. By addressing the policy priorities of Haley supporters and working to understand what appeals to them, the campaign aims to build a coalition of voters who could help tip the scales in favor of Biden in key swing states. The willingness of Haley supporters to engage with the Biden campaign despite their differences with the candidate suggests a potential shift in political allegiances and a willingness to consider alternative options in the upcoming election.
