Dallas/ Politics & Govt
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Published on February 18, 2024
Nikki Haley Takes Center Stage in Texas, Asserting Herself as GOP's New Generation Against Biden and TrumpSource: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley hit the campaign trail in Texas, aiming at both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in a bid to energize support among voters looking for a fresh face in the White House. Haley, making her pitch to the people of North Texas at a rally in Dallas' Gilley’s Dallas South Side Music Hall, questioned the wisdom of entrusting the nation's future to septuagenarians, as reported by FOX 4 News. "The majority of Americans disapprove of Trump and the majority of Americans disapprove of Biden. And do we really want to leave it up to two 80-year-old candidates to take our country forward?" Haley asked attendees.

Although trailing significantly behind Trump in the GOP primary race, with the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs polling showing an 80 to 19 deficit in Texas, Haley remains undeterred. Haley is not only challenging the former president but also presenting herself as a candidate of the younger generation, tapping into the growing sentiment for change as she prepares to visit Houston and San Antonio.

In San Antonio, the scene was charged as Haley delivered her platform to a couple of hundred gathered at Market Square, focusing on matters of national security and care for those who served, per Texas Public Radio. Haley's plan includes adding 25,000 Border Patrol agents and instituting a "catch and deport" policy, as well as advocating for improved health care services for veterans. Not shying away from taking jabs at Trump, Haley reminded the crowd of his previous disparaging comments about military members, saying, "The closest he's ever come to being in harm's way is by a golf ball if he's sitting on a golf cart."

Despite not securing early state GOP primary wins, Haley claimed she's narrowing the gap with Trump, and with some polls suggesting a double-digit lead over Biden in a hypothetical matchup, her confidence was apparent. "Now let me say this, because you will hear all the media pundits say, 'but what if, but what if.' But what if...I'm not going anywhere," Haley enthused, as Texas Public Radio reported. She also encouraged her supporters to make their voices heard come Super Tuesday on March 5.

Some supporters believe in her potential to surge ahead, "I am hopeful there are enough intelligent people in our country to see that he is completely a loser, and we don't need him again," Jennifer Hughes told Texas Public Radio, expressing her faith in Haley’s candidacy over Trump. While a few Trump loyalists heckled and pro-Palestinian activists expressed their disapproval during the event, Haley's rally was a stage where diverse opinions and the passion of American political discourse played out against the backdrop of a fiercely contested Republican primary.