DES MOINES, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley sees media outlets as attempting to manufacture a “two-person race” between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the Republican primary.
Haley shared her view with Breitbart News during an exclusive interview at Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) annual Roast and Ride at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.
“I think that the media wants this to be a two-person race. I think that’s the biggest challenge is they want the American people to go with what they want for clicks and ratings, and it’s more than that,” Haley responded when asked what her chief obstacle in the primary is. “That’s why we’re touching as many hands. I think the American people are smarter than that.”
“[The American people] get the fact that we have to have someone that will win a general election, and they get the fact that we can’t take four more years of Joe Biden, and so that’s what we’re gonna do,” Haley added. “I’m very confident in what we’re doing. This is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. And so we’re gonna go, and we’re in it to win it.”
Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina and as the ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, noted that she would put her resume to the test with any other candidate.
“I think the first thing is I’ll put my results up against anybody,” when asked about her path to victory. “I’ve been a two-term governor that took a double-digit unemployment state and turned it into an economic powerhouse. I was at the United Nations; I didn’t deal with one country; I dealt with 193.”
“It is time for a new generational leader,” she continued. “We need to leave the chaos and the negativity behind; we’ve got a country to save. And so I’m out here all over Iowa, making sure that they know that we’re in it to win it. We’re not taking any shortcuts. We’re answering every question. We’re touching every hand, and we’re gonna keep coming back until we earn the people of Iowa’s support. And we’re doing the same thing in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and we’ll do it across the country.”
Many of the Iowans in attendance that Breitbart News interviewed identified Haley as one of several candidates they are considering voting for. One man, Chandler Todd of Sioux City, indicated strong support for the candidate.
“Well, I like Nikki Haley the best, personally. I have always liked her,” he said. “Even ever since when she first went on air giving the State of the Union address response back when Barack Obama was in office is when I first fell in love with her. And just watching what she does throughout South Carolina and then when she worked under President Trump as U.N. ambassador was inspiring how far she went.”
Haley is set to take part in a CNN town hall event in the Hawkeye State on Sunday.