Columbia, United States: A strong woman who could bring the United States together: Nikki Haley, the only remaining challenger to Donald Trump, is really popular among many Republican women voting in the upcoming presidential primary in South Carolina.
But Trump, the runaway favorite who has already easily won contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, remains the top choice among many female voters, even as he faces four criminal charges and raises eyebrows with his lewd, even inflammatory, comments.
Haley is well known in the state capital of Columbia. She served as governor of the Palmetto State and hopes to do better in Saturday’s primary than predicted by polls that have her trailing Trump by a full 30 points.
Connie Gilliam, 54, who voted early for Haley in the primary, thinks she can bounce back and praises Trump’s rival.
“She’s been a great governor in our state. She’s done great things for South Carolina. And so we just feel like she’d be a great president,” said Gilliam, a retired teacher, calling Haley a fighter.
She said she liked the fact that after long opposition to such a move, Haley removed the Confederate flag from the Legislature building, erasing a symbol of the state’s pro-slavery Civil War past.
Compared to Trump, Haley is a “kinder person” and “will just be better at bringing the country together,” Gilliam said.
Elaine Billie, 72, said the fact that Haley is a woman is not the main reason she supports her. She rather likes her age – 52 compared to Trump’s 77.
Also read: Alabama court ruling on IVF ‘outrageous and unacceptable’: Biden
Billie also said Haley’s campaign ad recalling the “chaos” of Trump’s time in power really hit home.
“I voted for him last time, I’ll say that. It was in 2020. But there’s just too much chaos.”
She said the four charges Trump faces – two of them for trying to overturn the election results – “That’s front and center.”
Mallory Macon, a 28-year-old nurse, also likes that Haley doesn’t have the legal baggage that weighs on Trump.
“She’s a candidate that doesn’t limit her as a person overall,” Macon said.
“I feel like she’s trying to take a certain approach to be a little less right-wing than Trump.”
She said Trump has a potentially dictatorial style and expressed concern that under him the United States might not be able to hold free elections and instead begin to look like Russia.
And it was “totally inappropriate” for Trump to compare himself to late Russian opposition hero Alexei Navalny and describe himself as a victim of political persecution, Macon added.
Sandie Ellis, 66, said she voted for Trump last time despite his outbursts.
She called Haley young, qualified and brilliant, and even considered voting for her, but aligned herself with Trump after his easy wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.
“I feel with Trump’s leadership that we actually experienced in the last administration that he’s maybe the better qualified person,” Ellis said.
“He has a mouth, but I was definitely pleased with his business sense.
Ellis said she made a distinction between Trump as a person — who insults his rivals and comments on women’s physical appearance — and Trump as a leader.
“Let Melania act,” she said with a laugh, referring to former first lady Melania Trump.
