Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, has begun criticizing Donald Trump within the past two days, positioning herself as an alternative to Trump's nominee for Republican voters. But if she really wanted to be an alternative to Trump in this race, she should have criticized him from the beginning, instead of just two days before the New Hampshire primary.
Moreover, President Trump's insane, rambling speech in the Granite State This victory proves exactly why positioning himself as an alternative to Trump was a winning tactic that could change the course of this entire primary.
After the first debate, the momentum was on Haley's side, and she distinguished herself based on her experience and ability to drown out the noise on stage. Had she voiced one or two of her criticisms of President Trump during that debate, “Never Trump” support might have started to gather around her. But the only person looking to go head-to-head with Trump on that stage is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has urged his rivals not to take on Trump, but instead to support his candidacy and help him win the presidential race. He warned against offering a path to. name.
Many of us are among the original “Never Trump” members who were willing to be blacklisted by the Republican Party, given Christie's desire to prevent Trump from ever setting foot in the Oval Office again. I had high hopes for Christie's candidacy. He was commendable for defending the Constitution and criticizing President Trump's erratic, illegal, and tyrannical practices. His campaign never gained traction, so it might have been natural for Haley to carry the torch.
Even though she had the support of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R), a person who has publicly denounced Trump and been the target of Trump's criticism, she still played it safe and said that others for her rather than going head-to-head with Trump, who wanted to convey an “alternative to Trump” message.
Politics is always a game of “coulda'', “shoulda'', and “shoulda'', but in this primary election cycle, we know that Trump has the potential to become the Republican nominee, despite his difficulties. The risk was too high to leave everything to chance.
Haley's appeal to independent voters and her ability to break through a crowded primary field should be taken more seriously by her team, and by pivoting her message against Trump. I should have taken advantage of that. Mr. Trump recognized that he would have to attack her over the course of about a month last month, when her campaign was in full swing, giving Ms. Haley a chance to change course.
Now she seems to realize her grave mistake. Since finishing second in the New Hampshire primary, she has stepped on the gas with anti-Trump rhetoric, cementing her position as a candidate who will unite to stop Trump's coronation. I am trying to do. But now it's too late for her campaign, and there's writing on her wall saying Trump will be the Republican nominee.
For those in the Republican Party hoping for an alternative to Trump, that ship has sailed.Some experts may suggest otherwise, but clearly Republican coordination around Trump began on Wednesday.. My focus now is on defeating Trump through the general election and supporting President Biden.
The outcome is always 20/20, but if Haley had done this from the beginning, her candidacy as a Trump alternative would have been viable and would have been the basis for running both candidates in the Republican primary. Dew. She is currently in a position where her campaign will end if she doesn't win in her home state of South Carolina.
Ashley Pratt Oates is an independent and former Republican, communications strategist, political commentator, and board member of Republican Women for Progress. You can follow her on Twitter @AshPratte.
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