Edan Held
World News Editor
As America gears up for the 2024 Presidential election, the Republican Party is deep into primary season. With Joe Biden almost certain to be the Democratic nominee, Republicans have been voicing their opposition to the Democratic Party while seemingly fighting internally amongst one another. Following five Republican national debates spanning from August 2023 through January 2024 and having taken place in early primary battlegrounds, a number of candidates dropped out of the race. Those candidates include Chris Christie, former Governor of New Jersey; Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida; Mike Pence, former Vice-President of the United States; Vivek Ramaswamy, investor and former pharmaceutical CEO; Tim Scott, South Carolina Senator; Asa Hutchinson, former Governor of Arkansas; and Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota.
Still in the race is the frontrunner and former President of the United States, Donald Trump, and former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. At the time of writing, Donald Trump leads Nikki Haley in national polls by an astounding 60% despite not showing up to a single Republican national debate.
Seeing this in action, at the time of writing, Donald Trump had beaten Nikki Haley in every primary election and caucus that had taken place, including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. Even in her own home state of South Carolina, Haley could not withstand Trump’s domination of the Republican party, losing by nearly 20%.
Nikki Haley has campaigned with a message of shaping the future of the Republican party after Donald Trump. With Trump’s legal battles still ongoing, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding his bid for President and the possibility that a convicted felon will win a presidential election.
Donald Trump and Nikki Haley share many of the same values, as seen through their policies. Here is where they stand on a number of major issues. With respect to gun control, Haley opposes expanding background checks and passing gun legislation, believing mental health issues should take priority. Contrasting Haley, Donald Trump actually signed legislation in 2017 banning bump-stocks and supports expanding background checks; yet he has also appointed judges who are pro-second-amendment and vehement gun-rights supporters. On abortion, Haley believes it should be left to the states while also maintaining that she would support a 15-week abortion ban. Similarly, Trump has recently been reported to support a 16-week abortion ban. Haley has said that she would use immigration agents to deport undocumented immigrants and make it harder for them to obtain jobs. Trump maintains his stance on a border wall, supporting mass deportation and family separation. Lastly, regarding the climate, Haley has said that she believes in it and its effects on extreme weather, but she is not ready to provide clean energy tax credits or increase government regulation. Donald Trump on the other hand denies that climate change has affected extreme weather events and opposes tax credits, agreeing with Haley that regulation is not the solution.
Into the summer, both candidates will continue to go head-to-head in primaries across the country. While Donald Trump dominates polls at the time of writing, Americans are eagerly awaiting Super Tuesday to better understand who the Republican nominee to take on Joe Biden will be. With 847 Republican delegates up for grabs, the Super Tuesday races on March 5th will likely have decided who that nominee will be.
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