Nikki Haley, who previously served as the governor of South Carolina, announced in a video on Feb. 14 her bid for president in 2024. Haley is the first Republican to run against former president Donald Trump, and if successful in the primary, she would be the first woman and the first Asian American to be nominated by the Republican Party for president. 

Haley also served as the UN Ambassador under the Trump administration and left the administration on good terms with the former president in 2018. Donald Trump has publicly supported Haley’s entrance in the race. CNN reports that the former president received a call from Haley in which she told him about her possible campaign launch. He responded by telling her, “You should do it.” 

During her video announcement, Haley stressed the importance of fiscal responsibility, securing the border, and strengthening America. She cited the times where she called for tax cuts in South Carolina and handled the crisis that was the Charleston shooting. 

She calls for “a new generation of leaders” in Washington, and ends the video saying “I don’t put up with bullies, and when you kick back, it hurts them more when you’re wearing heels.” 

Haley has been very outspoken about changing the status quo in Washington. According to FOX News, Haley spoke on how the Republican party needs to expand its base to bring in the Hispanic, Jewish, Asian and African American communities and to start speaking in a way that “lifts everybody up, not just a select few.” Haley has also proposed the idea for term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old, which would impact both Trump and Biden, who are both over 75. 

As far as some of the key issues go, Haley stands firm in her pro-life beliefs and as governor, Haley signed into law an extreme abortion ban that threatened doctors with jail time for providing care for their patients. 

Haley has also spoken out against expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and she defended the Paul Ryan budget plan of 2011 that would have turned Medicare into a premium support system, effectively ending access to Medicare for millions of Americans. 

Haley has publicly criticized many GOP opinions on immigration. NBC reports that Haley would like to see America fix “our broken immigration system,” but does not support open borders. Haley will likely encounter competition from other potential GOP candidates such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who are all rumored to run in 2024.