- Haley is target number one after gaining momentum before a crucial moment
- The Trump campaign accused her of “weakness” at the border
- DeSantis said she was “disrespectful” to Iowans in comments about New Hampshire
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Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis played tag team Thursday to attack Nikki Haley for her stance on the border and her stance on Iowa, cementing her status as the candidate most likely to make waves in the nomination race.
The former president and Florida governor have both stepped up their criticism of Haley as she rises in the polls.
It further intensified with just eleven days to go before Iowa holds its caucuses to select the state's preferred candidate.
The Trump campaign launched its first TV attack on Haley in the state of New Hampshire on Wednesday, where it is aiming for a victory.
“Confirmed warnings that terrorists are sneaking in through our southern border,” the narrator says. Yet Haley joined Biden in opposing Trump's ban on visitors from terrorist countries. Haley's weakness puts us in great danger. Trump's power protects us.”
Nikki Haley is target number one for the campaigns of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, with just 11 days to go before Iowa Republicans choose their favorite candidate
The campaigns of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks
DeSantis also went on the attack after Haley appeared to write off Republican voters in Iowa when she told voters in New Hampshire they had a chance to correct the result in Iowa, where Trump appears on track for a big win.
“We have a chance to get this right,” she told a large crowd in Milford. “And I know we'll do well, and I trust you. I trust each and every one of you.
“You know how to do this. You know Iowa is starting it. You know you're correcting it.'
South Carolina, her home state, is “bringing it home,” she added jubilantly, as the South's first primaries were held on February 24.
DeSantis said it suggested Haley knew she would take a beating in Iowa.
“I think it was incredibly disrespectful to Iowans to say that their votes need to be corrected somehow,” he said during an interview with radio station Am Omaha.
“I think she's trying to make an excuse for the fact that she's not doing well.”
Other Iowans joined in.
“I trust Iowans to make their own decisions,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is supporting DeSantis. 'No “corrections” needed!'
However, Haley's analysis need not be wrong.
JL Partners surveyed 984 likely voters across the country from December 15 to 20. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, but show former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley performing best among Republican contenders against Joe Biden.
A moving average of polls in Iowa, tracked by statistics website FiveThirtyEight, puts DeSantis at 18.4 percent and Haley at 15.7 percent. Trump is far ahead with 50 percent of the votes.
Caucuses are notoriously difficult to predict, but the numbers suggest Haley's best bet could be in New Hampshire, where she is 19 points behind Trump, and well ahead of DeSantis.
Several strong debate performances and major endorsements have given her momentum as the race nears its business end.
Her campaign hit back at criticism that she was soft on the border.
“All the lame nicknames in the world don't change the fact that Donald Trump is clearly terrified of Nikki Haley's momentum,” said communications director Nachama Soloveichik.
“Nikki passed one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in the country when Trump was a Democrat. Trump should spend more time explaining why he never kept his signature promise to build a wall, instead of desperately trying to mislead voters with easily debunked ads.”