Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has announced the delegates she won in the Republican primary and is urging voters to support former President Trump for the party’s nominee at next week’s Republican National Convention.
Haley’s former campaign said she is releasing the 97 delegates she won in the primaries and caucuses in a show of Republican unity. Her withdrawal from the race earlier this year eased Trump’s path to the GOP nomination, and he has vowed to vote for her former rival over President Biden this fall.
“The nominating convention is a time for Republican unity. Joe Biden is incapable of serving a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America,” Haley said in a statement. “We need a president who will hold our enemies accountable, secure our borders, reduce our debt, and get our economy back on track. I call on delegates to support Donald Trump in Milwaukee next week.”
While Trump already has the votes he needs to win the nomination, Haley’s move will give him a boost ahead of next week’s party convention.
So while Haley is expected to announce her running mate at next week’s party convention after months of tense “vice-presidential” election action, she won’t be among the thousands gathering in Milwaukee to watch.
“She was not invited and is OK with that. Trump deserves the convention he wants. She has made it clear she will be voting for Trump and wishes him the best of luck,” spokesman Cheney Denton said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign is working to win over Haley’s supporters, some of whom continued to cast protest votes for the former U.N. ambassador in the primaries even after she dropped out of the race.
“There is a place in our coalition for Americans who care about the future of our democracy, who stand strong with our allies against foreign adversaries, who work across party lines to get things done for the American people, and who reject the chaos, division and violence that Donald Trump embodies,” Biden campaign spokesman Seth Schuster said in a statement following the news of Haley’s delegate release.
“There’s only one candidate who shares these values, and there’s only one campaign working hard every day to earn their support, and that’s President Biden’s campaign,” Schuster said.
