Nikki Haley, former United States ambassador to the United Nations, and former President Donald Trump both made big endorsements before the Iowa caucuses.
On Sunday, North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum announced that he endorsed Trump at the rally of former President Trump in Indianola Iowa. Burgum dropped out last month.
Burgum took part in the first Republican primary debates but did not reach the Republican National Committee’s thresholds for polling or donations to be eligible to take part in the other debates. He criticized the “RNC clubhouse debate requirements”, which he said, “nationalized the primary process.”
Burgum, who appeared on stage alongside Trump on Sunday said: “I am here to do something no other presidential candidate has done. I’m here today to endorse Donald J. Trump as president of the United States of America.”
He added, “I had the opportunity to sit in the front row.” “I have seen what President Trump has been able to do. As a businessman and as a Governor, I have seen this. I’ve seen what a difference President Trump can make.”
Marco Rubio, a former rival and Republican Senator from Florida, backed Trump over Ron DeSantis, the Governor of his state.
Rubio wrote in a post to X that “when Trump was [in the White House] I accomplished major policies I worked on for many years (like an expanded Child Tax credit & harsh sanctions on regimes in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a president who didn’t give in to special interest or let bureaucrats stop us.”
Rubio said: “I am a Trump supporter because I believe that only through his leadership can we get the extraordinary action needed to fix the mess Biden created.” It’s time to beat Biden and save America!
Politico reported DeSantis’ reaction to Rubio’s support of Trump, stating that the former president was “the party Washington, D.C., established.”
He added, “They are lined up behind him.” “I’m the candidate who would be a Washington, D.C. change agent. I like this contrast.”
In November of last year, Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida also endorsed Trump. Scott told NBC News, “If Trump were president, you would not see what’s happening in the world right now.”
He said, “I believe we should all come together and do whatever we can to support him in winning the nomination so that we can defeat Biden.”
On Sunday, former Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan announced his support for Haley. Hogan is an outspoken opponent of Trump.
Hogan said on CNN’s State of the Union that Trump was “pretty obvious” as the front-runner for Iowa but Haley had “all the momentum.”
He said, “The whole point of this race is to find the best possible candidate for November.” “Polls indicate that Nikki Haley is the best candidate. She’s 17 points in front of Joe Biden. It’s a tie between Trump and Biden.”
Hogan said, “Yes, I think it’s time that the party gets behind Nikki Haley.”
NBC News reported that Republican Senator Joni Ernest from Iowa declined to endorse anyone despite almost all candidates asking for her support. Ernst said that she had not ruled out supporting Trump, but that Haley was also a great candidate.
“If you consider the top issue for Iowa Republicans, it’s the economy. They’ve suffered under Biden. It is the southern border and the flow of illegal migrants into the United States. Nikki Haley has experience in national security and protecting our borders. She’s also been able to speak to Iowa voters about this. This may be a tipping point that resonates with many voters,” Ernst said.
“Tomorrow night we will know the results of who wins the Iowa Caucuses and how to proceed,” she said.
