Back in January 2016, National Review published its "Against Trump" issue, with the editors writing a piece calling Donald Trump "a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones." As we said in a previous post, National Review hasn't taken the Never Trump position of campaigning for Joe Biden, but it also claims that Trump cannot be president again.
Earlier Monday, we covered Michael R. Strain's piece at National Review Online arguing that all of Trump's challengers — with the exception of Nikki Haley — should follow Mike Pence's lead and drop out.
Noah Rothman, senior writer at NRO, is on board and says that Haley has the following needed to win a general election.
The demographics gravitating toward Haley’s growing coalition — independents, degree-holders, suburbanites, younger women, etc. — are the same demographics that make up a winning coalition in a general election. https://t.co/nwisHt2wGs
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 30, 2023
Haley’s rise validates the notion that Trump’s competitors should have embarked on their campaigns from the outset with an eye toward appealing to the voters most amenable to their anti-Trump messages.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 30, 2023
Independents don't get to vote in the Republican primary.
You guys are trying real hard 🤡
— Duke of Toxic Masculinity (@LeviathanLeap) October 30, 2023
Don't forget that the Democrats already have painted Haley as just as bad as any other Republican — they keep pointing to her using a "fake name" to sound white.
Are you high?
— Writer Gurl 🐊🇺🇸 (@JustAWriter71) October 30, 2023
Folks just trying to make something happen that ain't gonna happen.
— Shawn Hairston (@JetJacket) October 30, 2023
I’m not voting for a moderate Democrat.
— Provorov, King 🌲 (@ArrestSBF) October 30, 2023
This week's Vivek. Hard pass
— Beautyinnis (@beautyinnis) October 30, 2023
She has absolutely zero path in a contested Republican primary election.
— Max (@MaxNordau) October 30, 2023
Trump beats Haley with independents, 33 to 22, in that poll. And they both grew about the same with them: 12%.
— Chris (@chriswithans) October 30, 2023
Think about that. Haley can't even close in on Trump with the ONE group that you say supports her the most.
She'd be in great shape if Trump wasn't running. But he is. That coalition is NOT the one that wins GOP primaries these days.
— Doug-o-rando (@Dougtwit23) October 30, 2023
They are the same demographics that refuse to back any actually successful GOP policies
— Good Scotusblog (@ScotusBlogGood) October 30, 2023
They’ll end up voting for Biden in the general
— Tim Timson (@TimTimson1234) October 30, 2023
We're not sure where the writers at NRO are getting the idea of "Haley-mentum." She'll do better in the primaries than Kamala Harris at least, but there's no way she'll be the nominee.
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