In her first election campaign interrupted by Wednesday’s controversial Republican debate, Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and former governor of South Carolina, largely ignored the numerous attacks that her fellow candidates, aware of her growth in the polls, had made on her launched. What she discussed suggests that she continued to believe the criticism was not, as she put it Wednesday night, “worth my time.”
Speaking Friday to about 100 people in a conference room at a convention center in Sioux City, Iowa, Ms. Haley stuck to the topics that have become cornerstones of her campaign: her foreign policy experience and her willingness to say “ hard truths.” She lashed out at China, she promised to be a fiscally responsible president and she even answered a question about fears that Venezuela might invade its South American neighbor, Guyana.
Despite his growing rivalry with the Governor. Ron DeSantis of Florida to become the leading alternative to former President Donald J. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, Ms. Haley did not mention Mr. DeSantis by name, nor did she mention the debate — where he was in the line of fire for much of it of the evening, until the last minutes of the event.
Responding to a constituent’s question about her standing in the race, Ms. Haley said she didn’t think she needed to win the Iowa caucus to be successful.
“The momentum is on our side,” he said. “The way I look at it, we just have to have a good performance in Iowa. I don’t think that necessarily means winning, but I think we have to have a good performance.”
Ms. Haley also appeared to indicate that she would not accept an offer to become Trump’s vice president if he won the nomination and asked her to. “I’ve never played for second,” she said.
Ms. Haley’s campaign has gained prominence in recent weeks. Many national polls now have her in a heated race for second place with DeSantis, and she is running at a similar level in Iowa, at about 17.5%. (Trump is well ahead of both, with more than 45 percent).
Late last month, Americans for Prosperity Action, the conservative political network founded by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, endorsed Haley, who gave her campaign access to the network’s financial clout and a cadre of staffers ready to knock on doors and make phone calls.
At the Republican debate in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday, Ms. Haley’s growing prominence made her the target of frequent attacks from DeSantis and the businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Mr Ramaswamy in particular attacked her, calling her a “fascist”, claiming she was in the pockets of business interests and at one point held up a notepad on which she had written: “Nikki = Corrupt”.
“I love all this attention, guys,” Ms. Haley joked at one point, though she seemed, at least at times, to fade into the background of the debate. Some analysts have suggested later that Mrs. Haley had not defended herself strongly enough.
Unlike former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who revived his debate topics at campaign stops in New Hampshire on Thursday, Ms. Haley appeared to have turned a new leaf. She said the debates had served to winnow the field, and she predicted that another candidate — evidently Mr. DeSantis, though she didn’t name him — would drop out of the race after the Iowa caucuses.
“We have three major people going to Iowa, and I think after Iowa, one will fall,” Ms. Haley said. “And then I think you’re going to do a show with me and Trump in New Hampshire, and then we’re going to go to my home state of South Carolina, and then we’re going to get him.”
Many in attendance in Sioux City appeared to agree with Ms. Haley’s decision to largely ignore her opponents’ attacks, saying they admired her performance in Wednesday’s debate.
“She did great at the debate,” said Adrienne Dunn, a 48-year-old Sioux City resident who is leaning toward voting for Ms. Haley but hasn’t made a final decision. “She was prepared. “She had good answers.”
