A coalition of former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley voters pledged their support for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid on Sunday, hours after President Joe Biden announced that he was dropping out of the race.
Biden announced on Sunday afternoon in a letter that he will not be seeking a second term in this year's presidential election and threw his support behind Harris. The president's decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from people within his own party and from key Democratic donors urging him to step aside for the sake of the party's future after a disastrous debate performance last month against former President Donald Trump.
The political action committee (PAC), previously known as Haley Voters for Biden, which now features Harris' name, seeks to amplify the voices of former Haley voters in support of Harris' White House bid.
It is not affiliated with the Stand For America or Nikki Haley for President PACs. On Monday morning, the group posted on X clarifying this, writing "Just to clarify, we are not the Nikki Haley affiliated PAC. That was Stand for America."
They added, "We did spend $1 million supporting Haley and rallied thousands of voters across the political spectrum to vote for her because she was best for our country. And now we support @KamalaHarris."
Craig Snyder, the group's director, told Newsweek in an email on Sunday afternoon that the organization believes Harris "is best suited to defeat Donald Trump in November."
"A tough former prosecutor, the Vice President comes from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party, not it's left most fringe...For Haley voters, all of this puts the Vice President in a sweet spot for them to register their ongoing opposition to [former] President Trump," he said.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador running for the GOP ticket, ended her campaign in March following losses on Super Tuesday in competition with Trump who is the Republican Party's presidential nominee. Overall, Haley, who served in Trump's administration, won more than 2 million votes nationally on Super Tuesday. She also polled well among moderates and college-educated voters who don't support Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda.
Last week, Haley spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC), where she criticized the Biden administration and specifically called out Harris, saying, "Kamala had one job...one job...and that was to fix the border. Now imagine her in charge of the entire country."
Haley, meanwhile, has endorsed Trump's candidacy.
Snyder told Newsweek that Haley's "disparaging comments" were "motivated by political rather than substantive concerns, and we are certain that those comments will not be a decisive factor in the ultimate voting decision of the Haley voters whose extraordinary act in the primaries of protest against Donald Trump as the leader of the Republican Party means they are going to give the Democratic nominee at the very least serious consideration in November."
Haley has not released a statement on Biden stepping down or his endorsem*nt of Harris as of late Sunday afternoon.
Newsweek reached out to Haley for comment via her former presidential campaign email on Sunday.
The PAC quickly shared Biden's endorsem*nt of Harris on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: "We support @JoeBiden's recommendation and will immediately change the name of our organization to Haley Voters for Harris. There is no time to lose."
The organization has already changed its name on its social media accounts, but its website still reflects Biden's name.
— Haley Voters for Harris (@HaleyVte4Harris) July 21, 2024We support @JoeBiden's recommendation and will immediately change the name of our organization to Haley Voters for Harris. There is no time to lose.
She was a tough prosecutor.
We encourage her to select a moderate VP like @GovernorShapiro, @RoyCooperNC, or @GovAndyBeshear. https://t.co/UyAXKStjhP
Democrats will have to choose a new nominee by August 7 or face being kept off the ballot in Ohio. The nominee will then accept the party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which takes from August 19 to 22.
In its X post, the Haley Voters for Harris PAC advised the vice president to "select a moderate VP" and suggested three governors: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. It is not known who will run alongside Harris.
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All three governors posted statements applauding Biden's legacy and their gratitude toward him shortly after his announcement. Beshear wrote on X that "while his decision today could not have been easy, it is in the best interest of our country, and our party."
In another social media post, the PAC expressed support for Harris: "We welcome @KamalaHarris taking the torch that @JoeBiden passed to her."
Updated 07/22/24, 2:33 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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