In early 2023, the conventional wisdom was the race for the GOP nomination would be between the newer, younger version of Trump (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis), and the original, but older version.
Instead, the last person standing with Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, represents not a new version of Trump, but more of the ‘old’ guard of the Republican Party.
Despite the fact that she began her political career as a disruptor — she was endorsed in her first run for governor by the OG Tea Party member Sarah Palin — Haley now represents the throwback version of the GOP. She looks and sounds more like the Republican presidential nominees of 2000, 2008 and 2012; candidates who could win over the traditional GOP base but could also appeal to the swing voters needed to win a general election.
But, even in New Hampshire, a state Trump lost in both 2016 and 2020, Haley was unable to turn “electability” into a winning message. As of early Wednesday morning, Trump appears to have won the state by more than 10 points
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