Haley Enters the Field

On Wednesday, Nikki Haley launched her presidential campaign. Ambassador Haley made her campaign announcement to a crowd of her supporters in Charleston, South Carolina. Before Haley took the stage she was endorsed by Cindy Warmbier whose son, Otto, was murdered by the North Korean regime. Haley was also endorsed by South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman, who was previously known as a staunch Trump supporter. Congressman Norman called for new leadership before endorsing Haley.

Haley’s campaign launch video and her address itself highlighted her history of navigating racial divisions growing up in her hometown of Bamberg while stressing that the modern United States is not a racist country, contrary to what progressives want you to believe. Haley’s racial identity and conservative ideology drew the ire of progressive commentators with some even attacking the Ambassador for her name. 

After making her announcement, Haley began holding town hall events in New Hampshire, where she was also endorsed by 2022 GOP Senate nominee, General Don Bolduc. Haley’s campaign rollout impressed Republican strategists, although it’s unclear if Haley will continue to build momentum in the weeks and months ahead. It will certainly be an uphill battle.

From our pages:

On Tuesday, Lone Conservative published our first editorial of the year on President Biden’s State of the Union address. Although Biden was confident and composed, his rhetoric on bipartisanship directly contradicts his record of governance over the past two years. Moreover, “Biden’s speech was chock full of mistruths and outright lies, a hallmark of the sort of wordplay he has been familiar with his entire career.”

In the wake of the midterm elections, it is clear that young voters remain a significant impediment to Republican electoral success. In his Wednesday article, contributor Jack Applewhite calls on the GOP to focus on swaying younger voters. In his words: “The GOP must enhance its messaging on issues that matter to young voters. Recent elections have shown that when conservatives strike the right tone on topics that the youth cares about, they win.”

On another note, contributor Ethan Mackler did a deep dive into how the state of Montana is addressing the housing shortage. “Conservatives have the tools to meet the housing challenge head-on; property rights, state-level decisions, and supply-side economics have served us and the country in good stead,” he writes in his latest.  

Lastly, over the weekend we published a guest article from a former classmate of Lone Conservative founder Kassy Dillon who gave some insights into the climate of colleges like Mount Holyoke that have been taken over by progressive ideologies.