Nikki Haley builds momentum with just 12 days until Iowa caucuses: Republican doubles her fundraising, raising $24 million in three months as she tries to capture Trump

Nikki Haley's momentum appears to be growing with 12 days to go until the first Republican presidential nomination contest in Iowa, as she looks to overtake Donald Trump's huge lead in the polls.

Haley has raised $24 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 — more than double any other quarter before that — her campaign announced Wednesday. She has also risen in the polls.

The former governor of South Carolina is second on the list Polling average from RealClearPolitics for the Republican nomination, of 11% compared to Trump's huge 63%. Ron DeSantis is right behind Haley.

She appeared to have suffered no long-term damage after receiving a barrage of criticism and hateful comments for answering a question at a New Hampshire town hall about what the Civil War was about without ever mentioning slavery. Her Republican opponents attacked her heavily on the issue.

'It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government,” she originally said. She later clarified that she didn't mention slavery because “that was the easy part.”

Haley says her campaign has $14.5 million cash on hand for 2024, money that will be needed ahead of the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses and the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.

Other candidates have not yet released their fourth-quarter fundraising totals, but they have until Jan. 15 to submit the numbers to the Federal Election Commission.

Trump, who leads by a huge margin in all polls on the Republican race, has stepped up his appearances in Iowa ahead of the caucuses, the first nominating contest in the Republican primaries.

He has announced eight rallies to be held this Friday and Saturday, and the weekend just before the caucuses.

Haley in particular has focused on New Hampshire, where she has seen most of her growth in the polls. She also received the support of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who is influential in that state.

She is campaigning in New Hampshire this week while Trump and DeSantis focus on Iowa. But she did qualify for the Iowa debate on Jan. 10 and confirmed she will attend. DeSantis and Trump also qualified, but only DeSantis has confirmed his appearance. Trump will hold a town hall in Iowa that evening.

Haley has benefited from strong debate performances but faces questions about whether she is well-placed in early voting states, which is needed to get supporters to the polls.

She has been running a campaign, but has hired additional people in recent weeks thanks to her strong fundraising efforts.

“First of all, the accountant in me has been saving money this whole time, and it's just we're spending it wisely and now's the time,” Haley told Fox News on Tuesday.

In the RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls, Trump leads with 46 percent, but Haley is in second place with 25 percent.

Chris Christie came in third with 11 percent.

The former New Jersey governor has resisted calls for him to drop out of the race, arguing against those who say if he leaves, his supporters can help Haley defeat Trump.

Both Haley and Christie are targeting the same voters: independents and Republicans who are tired of Trump.

Donald Trump announced eight rallies to be held this Friday and Saturday, and the weekend just before the Iowa caucuses

Chris Christie is also playing strongly for New Hampshire, above speaking at a campaign town hall in Epping, New Hampshire

Sununu called on Christie to drop out on Sunday, telling CNN that “the only person who wants Chris Christie to stay in the race is Donald Trump.”

He argued that the Republican presidential race was now a “two-person contest” between Haley and Trump.

“There is no doubt that if Christie remains in the race, there is a risk that he will take her margin of victory,” Sununu said on CNN's State of the Union.

Christie is skipping the Iowa caucuses to concentrate his firepower in New Hampshire.