Jim Geragthy is right that the dynamic of the Republican Party is that Trump is running up through the middle while anti-Trump conservatives vote for Ron DeSantis (this year’s Ted Cruz) and anti-Trump moderates vote for Nikki Haley (this year’s John Kasich). He suggests they hammer out a ticket among themselves.

There are serious obstacles to this happening. One, it’s not clear who is stronger electorally. Haley does best in national polls against Biden, but her appeal in the Republican Party seems much more limited than DeSantis’s. Haley has momentum, but that could change if DeSantis performs exceptionally well in Iowa, which he is invested in doing.

But I think the biggest obstacle is that Haley still has a shot of being Trump’s VP selection. Although Axios reports that Trump wants loyalists, Haley obviously has an appeal to the sections of the party and independent voters that Trump–Pence lost in 2018 and 2020. These voters are more likely to be pro-choice, security-conscious women in the suburbs. Trump already has a solid connection with Evangelical voters — it’s with moderates that he needs to make up after the overturning of Roe by his justices. Haley has positioned herself as a moderate on social issues. (Although at last night’s debate, she seemed to reposition herself again).

Also, while she does have policy differences with Trump, Haley was notable after her service as ambassador to the UN for giving a long series of speeches, criticizing people throughout the Trump administration for overstepping their authority, or undermining the policies of the elected chief executive. Rhetorically, she reframed loyalty to Trump’s policies as loyalty to the constitutional order. That may be the basis of “uniting” the party by next spring.

QOSHE - Haley as Trump’s Veep - Michael Brendan Dougherty
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Haley as Trump’s Veep

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07.12.2023

Jim Geragthy is right that the dynamic of the Republican Party is that Trump is running up through the middle while anti-Trump conservatives vote for Ron DeSantis (this year’s Ted Cruz) and anti-Trump moderates vote for Nikki Haley (this year’s John Kasich). He suggests they hammer out a ticket among themselves.

There are serious obstacles to this happening. One, it’s not clear who is stronger electorally. Haley does best in........

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