More than any other 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is expected to have a big impact on other top-tier candidates, notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to pollsters following the race.
Both John Zogby and his son Jeremy said that besides DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, Haley, who entered the primaries today, is the one to watch.
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John Zogby said that Haley, a former South Carolina governor, has a “huge impact” on the race mostly because she is expected to compete for supporters of DeSantis. Her entry, he said, “could hurt DeSantis’s chances.”
Zogby added that “we’ve got to start looking at her and taking her pretty seriously.”
Jeremy Zogby, discussing the race with his father on a John Zogby Strategies podcast, said Haley is attractive to voters tired of the firebrands at the top of the polls: DeSantis and Trump.
“Not to say that Nikki Haley can’t be a firebrand herself, but I think that if I were to guess, that’s appeal from those older than 60 or older than 65 that here is an established figure, a governor, and a U.N. diplomat who doesn’t go down rabbit holes,” he said.
John Zogby noted with surprise that new GOP 2024 polling shows Haley in third, behind Trump and DeSantis, and in double digits. “That is not insignificant when you are talking about guys who are in the high thirties, low forties, somebody brand new who just announced who is in double digits,” he said.
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Haley’s announcement has also shifted the attention of political gamblers, who have a track record for picking winners. In the last day, nearly 65% of all new bets on the 2024 race have been on Haley to win, according to OddsChecker.
Kyle Newman, a spokesman for the website, told us, “It’s clear that Haley is getting a bump from her announcement here. The question is whether or not that’s sustainable. It has been for Donald Trump who’s surpassed DeSantis and Biden to stay at the top of the betting market since he announced he’s running. Will Haley see the same effect even though she’s not the biggest name? Especially with Republicans fading on the market, as Joe Biden has established himself as the clear favorite for reelection. It’s a tough road ahead for Haley, but she isn’t so far behind Trump and DeSantis that it’d be impossible to win the Republican nomination.”
