Will Nikki Haley pay for backing Mitt Romney?
December 17th, 2011 - 12:58 pm ICT by IANS
Washington, Dec 17 (IANS) South Carolina state’s Indian American governor Nikki Haley’s endorsement of front runner Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is threatening her own support at home.
Former Massachusetts governor Romney’s campaign is using Haley’s endorsement to build his acceptance among the tea-party base that’s never been comfortable with his candidacy, especially in a state where former House speaker Newt Gingrich has been running even stronger than elsewhere, the influential Washington newspaper Politico said.
But the people in that base who propelled Haley to the governor’s mansion last year see the endorsement of the more moderate Romney as abandoning them - and giving them another reason to turn away from a governor whose approval rating has dropped to 34.6 percent, the daily focusing on politics said.
Immediately after Haley announced her support Friday morning on “Fox and Friends,” her Facebook page lit up with accusations that the first-term governor was selling out her principles, the newspaper said.
Haley, at the age of 39 the youngest current governor in the US, though, insists she’s not worried. Haley told Politico she believed the tea partiers now upset would eventually see the wisdom of her decision.
“I have a great respect for the members of the tea party and what I know is all South Carolinians make the decision that’s best for them,” the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents said. “And so that’s what I did today.”
By backing Romney, Haley’s grabbed a chance to appeal to the more moderate, establishment Republicans who might be more inclined to his candidacy - and could now give her a second look, Politico said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
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