President Biden's campaign is intensifying its efforts to attract supporters of former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, which could be a vulnerable point for former President Trump in the upcoming general election.
Haley’s supporters and Trump’s critics have highlighted the 40 percent of the vote she received in the South Carolina primary as evidence of weaknesses in Trump’s support base within the Republican Party.
The Biden campaign has launched advertisements and statements aimed at this group of voters, and while it is not certain if the president will be able to convince the majority of them, Republicans say it's possible that Haley's supporters could be influenced or choose not to participate in the election.
Dave Wilson, a GOP strategist from South Carolina, commented, “The Biden campaign's current efforts to attract those voters are a strategic decision. The question is whether they will be able to tailor their entire message to that audience to persuade them to switch loyalties.”
As soon as Haley withdrew from the GOP primary, the Biden campaign put its plan into action to try to attract her supporters to Biden.
Last month, Biden stated, “Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.”
Recently, the Biden campaign released a 30-second advertisement featuring clips of Trump criticizing Haley during the GOP primary, along with the warning, “If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote.”
The campaign also issued a statement arguing that Trump has made it known that voters who are not part of MAGA are not welcome in his camp.
Sarafina Chitika, a senior spokesperson for the Biden campaign, stated, “Donald Trump has made it clear that he's not interested in reaching out to independents, moderates, or Nikki Haley supporters who he has alienated with his extreme, unpopular agenda and his commitment to be a dictator from day one. President Biden, on the other hand, is engaging with voters where they stand and emphasizing that everyone is welcome in his coalition to safeguard our freedoms and our democracy this November.”
John LaBombard, former communications director for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), sees an opportunity for Biden to appeal to more moderate Republicans, especially if he can emphasize his moderate roots.
LaBombard stated, “The White House’s tendency to move to the left in its initial years, including at times using hostile language towards moderate members of the president’s own party, may make this effort seem insincere, but the turmoil surrounding former President Trump and his campaign has given President Biden a significant opportunity to appeal to Nikki Haley’s voters.”
“He won’t win all of them, but if President Biden can hark back to his pre-White House days as a consensus-builder who doesn’t demonize those he disagrees with, and if he can stay focused on issues that broadly appeal to potential voters rather than just the progressive base, he could attract enough Republican voters to make a critical impact in the few states that will determine the election,” LaBombard, a senior vice president at ROKK Solutions, added.
The Biden team has been emphasizing that Trump hasn't reached out to Haley, the ex-governor of South Carolina, since she quit the race. Meanwhile, Haley did not back the former president when she left the race the day after Super Tuesday and has not indicated what role she will play as November approaches.
Some other Republicans are trying to change the story about Trump needing support from Haley's followers, arguing that many of them had supported Biden in 2020.
According to a poll by Emerson College last month, 52% of Haley supporters voted for Biden in 2020. The same survey found that 63% of Haley supporters said they backed Biden after she dropped out of the presidential race, while only 27% said they would vote for Trump.
Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist, said it is more important for Biden to win back Haley supporters than it is for Trump.
O'Connell added that Haley's supporters who did not support Biden previously are more likely to switch back to Trump.
O'Connell said that those who are not Democrats or opponents of Trump are likely to support Trump, citing concerns about the economy and the border.
Other Republicans are not certain about the impact Haley's supporters will have on either candidate.
Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, said, "I don't think we know yet what that number is to consider it a success." He added, referring to Haley's supporters and Trump's threats to permanently ban them from the MAGA camp.
Trump's allies also mentioned that he effectively secured the Republican nomination by March, winning 72% of the GOP primary electorate. Haley earned 24% in total.
The former president’s campaign responded to Biden's attempt to attract Haley voters, saying Biden is losing support from key parts of his base.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said, "Biden is losing support from Black voters, Hispanic voters, and almost every other part of his base because of his flawed policies and failed presidency."
Meanwhile, Biden officials have also highlighted Trump’s statements that they believe are pushing Haley voters away, including the times Trump has criticized Haley by calling her “birdbrain” and “not presidential material.”
They've also shared a quote from former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who said on his podcast last month, “Screw Nikki Haley — we don’t need her endorsement.”
Biden’s campaign has been heavily investing in battleground states, following the critical role that swing-state voters and independents played in the president’s 2020 victory. The campaign spent $30 million in six weeks on ads in battleground states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia.
Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden and special assistant to the president, commented that the president’s financial advantage allows his campaign to focus on attracting Haley voters.
“They have a lot of money, so it's logical to try to appeal to those voters. They won't ignore potential votes,” LaRosa stated. “Each vote will matter in states that are won by small margins, where I think Kennedy or Stein will also gain support.”
Biden’s campaign activities
collected around $53 million in February , bringing the total cash on hand to $155 million entering March. By the end of March, the campaign received $26 million in one evening during a fundraiser in New York City.In contrast, Trump’s campaign
received $10.9 million last month , while the joint fundraising committee raised nearly $11 million. The campaign holds about $42 million in cash on hand.However, experts suggest that Haley and other anti-Trump Republicans would be most effective in persuading their supporters to endorse Biden, rather than the president himself.
“They will argue that better than Biden,” Heye commented.
President Biden’s campaign is intensifying efforts to attract former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s supporters, aiming at a potential vulnerability for former President Trump in the general election. Haley’s supporters and Trump’s opponents have highlighted the 40 percent of the vote she secured in the South Carolina primary as proof of weaknesses in…
