Haley’s Presidential Bid May Get ‘Shot Down’ Early, Unlikely to Secure Trump Base – Experts Say
Former South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley.
InternationalIndiaAfricaWASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Former US ambassador Nikki Haley has little chance in the 2024 presidential race, although she could grab a number two spot on the Republican ticket, as she struggles to appeal to supporters of ex-president Donald Trump, analysts told Sputnik. On Wednesday, Haley in her first speech as a presidential candidate said she was running for a “strong and proud America.” The former South Carolina governor and UN envoy’s speech came a day after first announcing in a video clip that she would join the race for the Republican nomination. Trump has already declared his candidacy while many expect Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former vice president Mike Pence to join the race as well. University of Pittsburgh Professor of International Affairs Michael Brenner, using the recent tensions between the US and China over balloons as an analogy, thinks Haley and the other potential challengers will see an early exit.
"The mystery of the 'benign' floating objects has been resolved. A highly placed reliable source has told me that they are 'trial balloons' sent aloft by would-be candidates for the presidency," Brenner said. "There is the Pence balloon, the DeSantis balloon and the Nikki Haley. All have been shot down shortly after lift-off."
Brenner suggested Haley’s real goal appeared to be lining herself up in position to be the most likely choice as vice president on the Republican ticket. 
Americas’More the Merrier’: Trump Says He’s ‘Glad’ Ex-UN Nikki Haley is Running for President22:38 GMTChristian political activist Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler predicted Haley would make the most of her gender, her relative youth, her attractiveness and her unconventional background in US political terms. However, Hagler advised that those factors were unlikely to attract the mass of party supporters she would need to gain the Republican nomination. “The issue is does that secure her a rabidly racist base that DeSantis is playing to and Trump already commands,” Hagler said. “The answer is no.” In the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Haley secured only 4% of the vote among registered Republicans, with Trump leading the field at 43% followed by DeSantis with 31% and Pence 7%. However, the poll was conducted from February 6-13, and Haley did not announce her run until February 14. Moreover, DeSantis and Pence have yet to officially declare their candidacies.