MANCHESTER, N.H.–And then there were two.
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley celebrated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropping out of the presidential race on Jan. 21.
At a stop at Brown’s Lobster Pound in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Ms. Haley gave a classy shoutout to Mr. DeSantis.
“He ran a great race,” she said. “He’s been a good governor, and we wish him well.”
Ms. Haley then remarked that it is just her and former President Donald Trump, who has been dominating in the polls.
“It’s now one fella and one lady left,” she said.
Ms. Haley told voters she would end the status quo if elected.
“Fourteen people in this race—there were a lot of fellas. All the fellows are out except for this one,” she said.
“And this comes down to, what do you want? Do you want more of the same or do you want something new?” continued Ms. Haley. “Do you want to go back to a country where they decide who’s a good person, who’s a bad person, who’s the right person, who’s the wrong person?
“Or do you want to come together as Americans and say, ‘You know what, we’re going to get inflation down and get our economy back on track. We’re going to get our kids reading again and go back to the basics in education. We’re going to secure our border once and for all. We’re going to bring law and order back to this country. And we are going to have a strong America that we can all be proud of.”
She concluded her remarks at the restaurant with the following: “May the best woman win.”
Ms. Haley later released a statement reiterating her comments, in addition to a message just two days before the first-in-the-nation primary.
“Ron DeSantis has been a good governor, and I wish him well,” she said.
“So far, only one state has voted. Half of its votes went to Donald Trump, and half did not,” continued Ms. Haley. “We’re not a country of coronations.
“Voters deserve a say in whether we go down the road of Trump and Biden again, or we go down a new conservative road. New Hampshire voters will have their say on Tuesday. When I’m president, I will do everything in my power to show them they made the right decision.”
At her final planned campaign stop at Exeter High School, Ms. Haley reacted to a roaring auditorium crowd wittingly.
“Can you hear that sound?” she said. “That’s the sound of a two-person race.”
Although the GOP primary comes down to Ms. Haley and President Trump, the latter has enjoyed a large lead in most polls.
Additionally, in that poll, 62 percent of DeSantis voters would cast their ballot for President Trump were Mr. DeSantis no longer in the race, while 30 percent of them would do so for Ms. Haley.
Upon dropping out, Mr. DeSantis endorsed President Trump.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said in a video announcing his decision to exit the race.
“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge,” continued Mr. DeSantis. “He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
