Furman political science professor explains what a Nikki Haley presidential campaign could look like

Former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley has signaled her intention to run for president in 2024 with an official announcement set for Feb. 15. WYFF News 4 spoke to Furman University’s Danielle Vinson, a professor of politics and international affairs, about Haley’s early entry into the fray. She said the downside is it sets up Haley for earlier scrutiny, but the upside is it could give her the ability to consolidate the field on the moderate side of the party.

“If you’re looking at what happened in 2016, you had a whole bunch of non-Trumpian candidates, and they basically divided the voters,” Vinson said. “This is potentially a way to tell others, ‘I’m in here, y’all get in line behind me and support me’ rather than jumping in [and] dividing this part of the party that would like something different from Trump,” she added.

Vinson also weighed in on the expected entry of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the 2024 race and how his experience would stack up against Hayley’s. The WYFF story was picked up by a Savannah, Georgia, ABC affiliate, WJCL 22.