By Raul Castillo
30 Oct 2023, 18:12 PM EDT
Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, lashed out at Nikki Haley, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, in a message on Platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Harrison labeled her a “MAGA extremist governor” and rejected her public positioning of her as a moderate alternative to former President Trump.
“Today, as Nikki Haley officially files for the South Carolina Republican primary, I, like many other South Carolinians, remember her for what she was: a dangerous, out-of-touch MAGA extremist governor who was a complete disaster for our state,” he wrote.
Harrison recalled Haley as an extremist and out-of-touch figure during her tenure as governor of South Carolina, stating that she was detrimental to the state.
He criticized her attempt to present herself as more moderate on issues such as abortion, noting that she is trying to “rewrite her history on abortion.”
Haley has expressed a position that seeks to approach the issue of abortion with compassion and has rejected efforts against women who have abortions. However, she has also indicated her willingness to sign a 15-week abortion ban if she is elected president, although she emphasizes the unlikely passage of such a bill in the Senate.
Harrison strongly criticized the extreme abortion ban enacted by Haley during her tenure as governor of South Carolina, which did not include exceptions for rape or incest and threatened doctors with legal sanctions.
Against the workers
On the health care front, Harrison accused Haley of turning her back on South Carolinians by not supporting Medicaid expansion and proposing a plan to improve the existing program.
“Like the rest of MAGA’s minions, Nikki doesn’t give a damn about workers. “She consistently turned her back on thousands of South Carolinians by refusing to expand Medicaid and adopt a plan to end the program as we know it,” she said.
Harrison’s tone was critical and focused on highlighting Nikki Haley’s past statements, presenting her as part of the MAGA movement and questioning her supposed moderation in her quest for the presidency.
Haley grows in the polls
Harrison’s attack on Haley comes at a time when the Republican candidate is growing in the polls and is approaching second place, currently occupied in the polls by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to the USA Today/Suffolk poll conducted last week, Haley has 11% support among likely Republican voters, while the Florida governor also has 12.3%, just one percentage point higher.
Although he maintains second place for now, DeSantis loses a considerable difference. In June, when USA Today/Suffolk conducted the same poll, Haley polled nearly 5 percentage points lower than she does now. On the other hand, DeSantis loses almost half of his likely votes, when 22.86% said they would vote for him.
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