According to Forbes, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley encountered a stumble in her campaign during a recent stop in Iowa, where she misidentified University of Iowa women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark. Haley, a Republican presidential hopeful for 2024, referred to Clark as “Caitlin Collins,” inadvertently mixing up the athlete with CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins. Responding to the mix-up, Kaitlan Collins humorously noted on Twitter, “I can assure you her free-throw percentage is much higher than mine.”
This gaffe occurred as Haley campaigned in Coralville, Iowa, ahead of a game between Iowa and the University of Minnesota, an event she was set to attend. The misidentification added a layer of awkwardness to Haley’s campaign, already dealing with the fallout from a controversial statement made during a campaign event in New Hampshire.
Earlier in the week, Haley faced criticism for her refusal to explicitly acknowledge that the Civil War was primarily about slavery. Responding to an audience member’s question about the war’s cause during a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, Haley initially characterized it as being about “the freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do.” After widespread backlash, including criticism from fellow GOP primary contenders and President Joe Biden, Haley attempted to backtrack, acknowledging on a New Hampshire radio show that “of course, the Civil War was about slavery.” She emphasized that the war was about the “freedom to do and be anything they want to be without anyone or government getting in the way.”
While campaigning in Iowa, Haley continued to address questions about her comments on slavery, telling Fox News that she should have immediately mentioned slavery and explaining, “when you grow up in the South, slavery is a given.” She also referenced her past actions as governor of South Carolina, where she signed legislation to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign criticized Haley’s handling of the situation, tweeting, “Nikki Haley is once again spending her day defending her stupid Civil War flub.” Despite the recent challenges, Haley’s average support in GOP presidential primary polls stands at 11%, putting her in third place behind DeSantis with 12% and former President Donald Trump with 61%, according to FiveThirtyEight.
