Biden steps up efforts to court Haley voters

Source: The Hill

04/02/24 1:35 PM ET


President Biden’s campaign is doubling down on courting former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s supporters, targeting a potential weak spot for former President Trump going into the general election. Haley’s supporters and Trump’s critics have pointed to the 40 percent of the vote she won in the South Carolina primary as evidence of cracks in Trump’s Republican base of support.

The Biden campaign has released ads and statements targeting the group of voters, and while it’s unclear whether the president will be able to flip the majority of them, Republicans say it’s plausible that Haley backers could be swayed or even sit the election out.

“A move by the Biden campaign right now to court those voters is a smart move on their part,” said Dave Wilson, a South Carolina-based GOP strategist. “The question is will they be able to appeal their entire message to that audience to get them to switch parties.” As soon as Haley dropped out of the GOP primary, the Biden campaign activated its strategy to try to get her supporters into Biden’s camp.

“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,” Biden said in a statement last month. Last week, the Biden campaign released a 30-second ad featuring clips of Trump criticizing Haley during the GOP primary, with the warning, “If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4570131-joe-biden-donald-trump-nikki-haley-2024/