WASHINGTON — Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Friday that she hasn’t talked to “anybody” about a third-party bid with No Labels — despite what she called “smoke signals” of her interests — citing a misalignment of her conservative goals. A candidate for the Democratic nomination.
“I’m a Republican,” Haley said in an hour-long conversation with a small group of invited reporters, making his most sweeping comments to date on the No Labels proposal. “If I were to do No Labels, it would need a Democrat. I can’t do what I want to express with the Democrats.”
“I’ve always believed that if you’re going to do something, you either do it right or you don’t,” he said. “And so I don’t think I can do it right. If I was competing for No Labels, that would be about me. This is not about me. I think this is related to the direction the country should go.”
Haley’s comments undermining the possibility of a run with No Labels come despite the group saying it may run a more Republican and independent ticket than a Democrat. The representatives of No Labels do not plan this they meet virtually on March 8 deciding whether or not to continue the presidential campaign.
Haley repeatedly shifted her goal posts on Friday, saying she would stay in the race “as long as we’re competitive,” repeatedly focusing on the Republican primary.
On March 5, the day with the most delegates at stake on the 2024 candidate calendar, she declined to say how much time she plans to spend in the race as she faces a surge against former President Donald Trump on Super Tuesday.
“I don’t know that I’m done running for president,” Haley said. “If you’re in the race, the last thing you want to think about is not being in the race.”
The former South Carolina governor is attacking the states on Super Tuesday while aggressively fundraising. When asked by NBC News what the money he’s raising is for — especially when his personal pitch isn’t guaranteed after Super Tuesday — Haley disputed the premise of the question.
“They don’t ask me what is your strategy?” I asked, “What’s your plan?” they don’t ask,” Haley said. “They just say, ‘Thank you for giving me hope.’ … What they’re saying is ‘keep fighting.'”