Nikki Haley gets FIRST Senate approval while Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski lightly supports Trump ahead of Super Tuesday
- Murkowski is only the second member of Congress, after Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., to endorse Haley’s long-running campaign
- Trump endorsed Murkwoski’s main challenger Kelly Tshibaka in her 2022 reelection race
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Friday became the first in the House to back Nikki Haley’s bid for president, just days before her state’s March 5 primary.
Murkowski is only the second member of Congress, after Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., to endorse Haley’s long-running campaign.
Murkowski, who has been a senator since 2002, was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump after he was impeached on January 6, 2021, for incitement of insurrection.
Trump then endorsed Murkwoski’s main challenger Kelly Tshibaka in her 2022 reelection race.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Friday became the first in the House to back Nikki Haley’s bid for president, just days before her state’s March 5 primary.
“I am proud to support Governor Nikki Haley,” Murkowski said in a statement. “America needs someone with the right values, strength and judgment to serve as our next president – and there is no one better than them in this race. Nikki will be a strong leader and uphold the ideals of the Republican Party while serving as president for all Americans.”
Thirty-two Republican senators, nearly two-thirds of the Republican conference, have endorsed Trump. This includes four of the five members of the GOP leadership in the Senate — all except Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who recently announced he would step down from his leadership role in November.
Even McConnell has flirted with the idea of supporting Trump, despite their many public spats.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s UN ambassador, is the only big name left in the primaries against former President Donald Trump. She is still far behind him in the polls and has not yet won a primary or caucus against him.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s UN ambassador, is the only big name left in the primaries against former President Donald Trump. She is still far behind him in the polls and has not yet won a primary or caucus against him
Haley vowed to stay in the race at least until Super Tuesday, March 5, when 16 states and one territory have primaries.
Trump is up 81 percent to Haley’s 18 percent in the most recent 2024 Republican primary polls conducted by Morning Consult.
But her campaign isn’t losing momentum: She also revealed earlier Friday that her campaign raised $12 million in February alone, despite losing every primary to date.
The Haley campaign has urged voters in the district to go to the hotel, saying in a text message “we cannot afford four more years of Biden’s failures or Trump’s lack of focus.”
“You deserve better than a choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump,” Haley says in the campaign text.