Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), one of the most moderate Republicans in the United Sates Senate, is endorsing former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) for president, as Haley continues with her quixotic campaign against former President Donald Trump.
Murkowski’s endorsement came in a press release on Friday from Haley’s team, in which the senator announced, “I’m proud to endorse Gov. Nikki Haley.”
“America needs someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next President—and in this race, there is no one better than her,” Murkowski added. “Nikki will be a strong leader and uphold the ideals of the Republican Party while serving as a President for all Americans.”
Haley thanked Murkowski – who voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2021 – for her support. This marks Haley’s first endorsement from a United States senator, while Trump closes in on two dozen, as FiveThirtyEight notes.
“I’m grateful to Sen. Murkowski for her support and leadership,” Haley said. “Sen. Murkowski represents the best of Alaska—she is a trailblazer and a strong, independent voice who doesn’t bow down to the powers that be in Washington.”
“As president, I will fight to make Alaskans—and all Americans—proud by restoring fiscal sanity, energy dominance, and limited government,” she added.
The establishment endorsement for Haley comes as Trump is obliterating her in the delegate count, with a 110-20 lead out of 142 delegates that have been allocated to this point, as the New York Times notes.
Haley only has 11 more delegates than Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump after the Iowa Caucuses. This is despite her participating in several more contests – in which delegates were at stake for her – than he did.
Most recently, Trump thumped Haley in the Michigan primary, winning by some 40 points. That followed an embarrassing loss for Haley in her home state of South Carolina, where Trump enjoyed a 20-point victory in the primary.
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