Some Washington Republicans hope Nikki Haley keeps battling Trump

January 24, 2024 / 5:12 pm

caption: Former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during an event sponsored by Turning Point USA at Clemson University on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, in Clemson, S.C.

The chorus of Republican voices calling for Nikki Haley to get out of the presidential race is getting louder, following her double-digit loss to former President Trump in the New Hampshire primary.

But in Washington state, some Republicans hope the former South Carolina governor will stay the course.

“It's not an easy path. It's a narrow path. I'm a realist, but to say that there's no path, I don't think is true,” said Paul Hess, vice chair for Haley's campaign in Washington state.

"This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go,” Haley said, after the New Hampshire primary race was called for Trump Tuesday night.

In Washington, Paul Hess told KUOW he's looking ahead to the February 24 primary in South Carolina, which is Haley’s home state.

“Nobody thought she'd win the governorship when she first ran. She kind of beat those old southern white boys at their own game," Hess said. "Let's see what she can do."

There are other considerations for Washington Republicans beyond the presidential race, Hess added.

Hess said Republicans would be in “much better shape” to compete in statewide and federal races this year with Haley at the top of the ticket as opposed to Trump.

He argues Haley would have an edge over Trump with some key blocks of voters, such as suburban women. In New Hampshire, while Trump won with men, the female vote split between the two candidates.

Trump is particularly unpopular in Washington state, losing to Biden by 20 percentage points in 2020.

“This is a very blue state. Anybody who doesn't admit that, including Republicans, is sugarcoating it,” Hess said.

Republicans like Hess think Haley is the type of candidate who can help them turn things around.

“We have not won the governorship here in 40 years, really, in 44 years, if you count when John Spellman got elected in 1980. So that's the longest drought of the 50 states,” he said.

Washington's Presidential Primary is on March 12.

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David Hyde
Reporter

David’s people-focused politics coverage tracks local and national races. At KUOW, David has also reported for our Hearken Team answering listener questions,and covered a variety of other topics ranging from vaccine hesitancy to climate change.
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