Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is drawing political fire for walking back her pledge to support her party’s nominee, including the likely primary campaign winner Donald Trump.
But as Haley appears to abandon her pledge to the GOP, New Hampshire Haley supporters like Gov. Chris Sununu are standing by the candidate.
On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Haley was asked if she considered herself still bound by her pledge to the Republican National Committee that she would support the eventual nominee.
“No, I think I’ll make what decision I want to make, but that’s not something I’m thinking about,” she said. Pressed by the host, Haley added, “When you all ask Donald Trump if he would support me, then I will talk about that. But right now, my focus is, ‘How do we touch as many voters? How do we win?’”
Haley’s suggestion she might abandon the GOP nominee in November contradicts her repeated public statements in the past — including on a GOP primary debate stage — that she would support Trump as her party’s choice.
“Typical for a politician to lie to the voters,” said Granite Stater and longtime Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski. “That’s why Donald Trump has the support of the American people and will be the next president of the United States.”
Sununu, one of Haley’s most enthusiastic advocates, has often gotten the “Will you vote for Trump?” question, and he’s consistently said he will support the GOP nominee. He continues to campaign for Haley, appearing on stage with her and fellow New Hampshire Republican Don Bolduc at a rally in Massachusetts on Saturday.
Asked about Haley’s hedging, Sununu denounced the question as unfair.
“Donald Trump has never committed to supporting the Republican nominee, and has shown zero loyalty to the Republican Party,” Sununu said. “This is an insulting question to ask a candidate actively running against Donald Trump, and nothing more than a manufactured crisis from the media.”
Bolduc also backed Haley’s willingness to walk away from Trump.
“I fully support Nikki Haley’s decision. I believe the blind following of somebody because they are from a certain party is why we have such poor leadership representing us as elected officials. A Biden-Trump election is the worst choice for America. Seventy-one percent of Americans agree,” Bolduc told NHJournal.
“Trump is campaigning on a self-pity platform and Nikki Haley is campaigning on the issues.”
Trump has won every presidential primary contest except Sunday’s vote in the District of Columbia. He has a 244 to 43 lead over Haley in the delegate count and he’s widely expected to win all 15 states in the March 5 “Super Tuesday” contests. In the latest FiveThirtyEight aggregation of polls, Trump has the support of 77 percent of Republicans nationwide, while Haley is at 15 percent.
Trump campaign national spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the former president isn’t worried about what Haley says.
“Republican voters have delivered resounding wins for President Trump in every single primary contest, including New Hampshire, and this race is over. Our focus is now on Joe Biden and the general election,” Leavitt said.
Former New Hampshire House Speaker Pro Tem Kim Rice served as Haley’s New Hampshire state co-chair. “It’s easy to criticize Nikki Haley, but look at Donald Trump. He’s the one who told us he didn’t want our support,” she said.
“Remember when he said anyone who donated to Haley would be ‘permanently barred?’ Well, as soon as I heard it, I immediately donated to Haley and got ‘barred.’ And he told everyone in D.C. that if they supported anyone else ‘don’t come to me.’”
Rice argued that Trump was shrinking the Republican Party while Haley was helping it grow — “She’s bringing back some of the suburban voters Trump alienated” — and so it’s ridiculous to complain about so-called party loyalty.
“If she doesn’t want to vote for him, that’s her choice.”
Bolduc isn’t backing down, either.
“I will no have regrets,” Bolduc said. “I will follow Nikki to Hell and back.”
