Could Nikki Haley switch to a third-party candidate?

‘I’m trying to really talk about a way forward for Republicans’

Struggling 2024 Republican candidate Nikki Haley has so far seen only one primary victory so far — and she may have found a solution to avoid future primary losses: running as a third-party candidate.

The former UN ambassador is the last-standing GOP rival against prominent frontrunner Donald Trump, who has swept every one of his party’s caucus or primary so far — excluding Washington, DC, which was Ms Haley’s first 2024 victory.

With each primary loss propelling her farther from becoming her party’s nominee, speculation has grown around whether Ms Haley would be open to a third-party bid.

The political organisation No Labels has indicated that it would consider putting Ms Haley as a candidate for its third-party ticket, assuming she was interested. The group’s national director Joe Cunningham told Fox News last month that the former South Carolina governor is “somebody we’d definitely be interested in.”

“We’re looking for great quality people, folks that have broad appeal to independents, Democrats, Republicans,” he said.

However, Ms Haley has previously dismissed the idea of running as a third-party candidate, emphasising her firm place in the Republican party. “All the talk about the independent No Labels, all that — I haven’t talked to anybody about that,” Ms Haley said over the weekend. “I know that they have sent smoke signals, but I’m a Republican.”

“I’m trying to really talk about a way forward for Republicans,” she added.

The former South Carolina governor continued, “If I were to do No Labels, that would require a Democrat vice president.”

A run as a third-party candidate could be an interesting move as more and more Americans seem exhausted by the prospect of another Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch.

More than half of Americans said they would be “dissatisfied” if President Biden and Mr Trump were their party’s nominees.

Age is also a factor. In a poll this week, a majority of voters – 73 per cent – say the president, 81, is too old to be an effective president, while 42 per cent say the same about the former president, 77.

Ms Haley, 52, has made remarks about the frontrunners’ ages throughout her time on the campaign trail.

Last month, she posted on X: “We all know 80-year-olds who can run circles around us … and then we know Trump and Biden. We need a president who has the focus and stamina to deal with all the challenges facing our country.”

Launching a third-party candidacy hypothetically could result in some Nikki Haley supporters ditching the Republican party and voting for her instead, thereby cutting into Mr Trump’s numbers. But that reality remains to be seen.

The increasing speculation around her potential third-party bid falls just ahead of Super Tuesday, on 5 March, when 15 states are holding GOP nominating contests.

“You’ve only had three or four states that have voted up until now,” Ms Haley said on 3 March. “We’re a big country and we want everybody to feel like they had the opportunity to vote for someone and not against someone.”

The former UN ambassador also vowed to stay in the race as long as she’s “competitive.”