According to Mediaite, Andrew Stein, who supported Donald Trump for president in both 2016 and 2020, has ditched his longtime ally and endorsed Nikki Haley in the GOP primary. Stein, the son of the late publishing giant Jerry Finkelstein, had a long career in New York City politics and served as the president of the city council as a Democrat before crossing party lines to support Trump.
However, in a scathing Wall Street Journal op-ed on Friday, Stein made it absolutely clear that he was moving on from Trump and holds serious concerns about the former president’s ability to be reelected.
“Mr. Trump’s poll numbers show him with a clear path to the Republican nomination and rising ahead of Joe Biden. Given his mounting legal troubles, however, today’s polling may prove irrelevant. If Mr. Trump is found guilty of some of the charges against him, voters would have to choose between an old felon and an old fool,” Stein wrote in the Journal.
While making the case that Trump is an electoral liability, Stein also argued that Haley is best positioned to win over independents.
“Ms. Haley is likely to have a broader appeal than Mr. Trump for independents and suburbanites, especially women,” Stein wrote, adding:
The Democrats hope he wins the nomination and is convicted of felonies, leading him to lose the presidential election. Republicans need to consolidate around Ms. Haley so they have a credible nominee who can take on any Democrat.
He also expounded on her experience as governor of South Carolina and lauded her for her foreign policy knowledge and time on the world stage. “As a former ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Haley is one of the few candidates with real foreign-policy experience at a time when such experience will be important for the next president,” Stein wrote.
