Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley on Monday gave her endorsement to Senator Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.) in an intra-Republican battle for one of Georgia’s Senate seats.
“Right off the bat, [Loeffler] put her marker down on what she wanted to fight for,” Haley said at a campaign event near Atlanta. “But then she went and showed it through her actions. She supported President (Donald) Trump and voted to end the impeachment — and told Congress to get back to work.”
Loeffler was appointed to the Senate in December by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to fill a vacancy left by former senator Jonny Isakson, who retired due to health issues. Kemp reportedly thought Loeffler would shore up GOP support among female suburban voters, but his appointment bucked the wishes of President Trump, whose preferred choice was Representative Doug Collins (R., Ga.). Collins subsequently chose to enter the special election for Isakson’s Senate seat, setting up an intra-Republican battle and drawing the ire of the National Republican Senate Committee.
Haley’s endorsement of Loeffler is the highest-profile endorsement the freshman senator has received.
“The president’s style is not Kelly’s style, right?” Haley said at the campaign event. “But at the end of the day, they both agree on the same results: how we get wages up, how we get unemployment down, how do we make retirements fatter.”
Loeffler has been criticized over her stance on abortion, and Collins has received the support from some quarters in the GOP, including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.