Donald Trump said during his Iowa victory speech, “I know that Ivanka is home, and Tiffany home, they’re at home watching.”
In a recent interview on CNN, Kate Bolduan spoke with Prof. Dante J. Scala from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire to discuss the state of the GOP primary following the Iowa caucus. Scala shared insights into the emerging sentiment that Donald Trump is likely to secure the Republican nomination, and he assessed the challenges faced by Nikki Haley in reshaping voters’ perceptions in New Hampshire.
Scala noted the importance of New Hampshire historically breaking from Iowa in the GOP primary and mentioned Haley’s objective to give voters in the state a reason to reconsider their views. However, he acknowledged that her efforts in Iowa didn’t yield the desired results.
Bolduan inquired about Haley’s chances in the upcoming New Hampshire primary, emphasizing the need for her to appeal to both independents and Republicans with distinct messages. Scala expressed that the challenge for Haley in the next seven days is to effectively convey her acceptability as the nominee to New Hampshire Republicans while also encouraging independents and leaning Democrats to join in.
The interview then delved into Nikki Haley’s campaign strategy, highlighting a new ad that echoed her final message in Iowa. Scala discussed the gradual shift in Haley’s messaging, becoming more explicit in her critique of Donald Trump while attempting to tread a middle ground. He suggested that by presenting Biden and Trump as two of a kind, Haley aims to position herself as a crossover candidate capable of building a diverse coalition.
Bolduan played Haley’s latest campaign ad, wherein she emphasizes her candidacy as a means to prevent another “Trump-Biden nightmare.” She questioned Scala on the effectiveness of this approach, and he opined that it could work as part of Haley’s strategy to become a crossover candidate.
The discussion touched on the subtlety in Haley’s approach, with Bolduan noting that she hasn’t been as direct as some other candidates in confronting Trump. Scala agreed and referenced the cautionary lesson from Chris Christie’s campaign, emphasizing the delicate balance Haley must strike to persuade voters that she could be a viable alternative.
The interview concluded with a lighthearted exchange between Bolduan and anchor John Berman, acknowledging Scala’s expertise in New Hampshire politics and expressing appreciation for his insights.
“I think Nikki Haley this week is trying to reach out to two groups of voters. She’s trying to get independents, even those who lean a little bit Democratic, to join in, jump in the pool and vote, maybe vote against Donald Trump. And at the same time, talk to New Hampshire Republicans and say, hey, I’m perfectly acceptable as the nominee. Can you deliver both messages at the same time to two very distinct groups of voters? That’s the challenge ahead of her over the next seven days,” Scala replied.
“Let me then play a little bit of the new ad that Nikki Haley’s campaign put out this morning. It mirrors her final message as she was leaving Iowa last night that she wants to she wants to. Her candidacy is to help, in her words stop another Trump-Biden nightmare,” said Bolduan before playing Haley’s latest campaign ad attempting to tie Trump and Biden together.
“What is she leaning into here when it relates to Iowa? Do you think it’s going to be effective?” Bolduan then asked.
“I think it could work. She’s leaning this, she’s been, slowly but surely reaching this point where she makes a more explicit message against Donald Trump. And here she’s kind of trying to be, tread the middle, and that’s been so much about her campaign, is trying not to offend. Bring people together, saying Biden and Trump are two of a kind. Is that a way for her to become a crossover candidate who can build a coalition here?” Scala replied.
“Yeah. I mean, is this as direct as she’s going to get in taking on Donald Trump? We will see because she’s definitely not going nearly as hard as we saw from, let’s say, Chris Christie when he was still running, when he was still running, that’s for sure,” Bolduan noted.
“Absolutely. And so with Chris Christie, the lesson there was you can go too far. Nikki Haley’s question is, has she gone far enough to persuade voters that she could be the alternative?” replied Scala.
