Nikki Haley stops in Ankeny days before Iowa Caucus seeking undecided voter support

By Sofia Mendes, WEBN

Ankeny, Iowa — Former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley stopped in Ankeny, Iowa today just four days before the state’s caucuses on Monday. She spoke to a crowded room of both supporters and undecided voters.

Haley’s speech touched upon nearly all her key policies from domestic issues, such as parental involvement in education and border security, to American support of Ukraine and Israel. Unlike previous campaign stops, Haley did not entertain audience questions. 

Haley began her speech stressing that small businesses are the “heartbeat of our economy,” emphasizing how she’s fallen in love with the “patriotic, hard-working Americans that want a better country.” However, many voters like University of Iowa student, Aaron Parke, remain undecided. 

Parke stated that he has yet to make up his mind about Haley as he’s yet to see her “commitment to supporting working-class, blue-collar Americans.” Parke, a farmer himself, questioned whether Haley would work for “farmers who put food on the table.” 

The impact of the carbon-capture pipelines on families like his, who depend on their land, is where Parke expressed he sees the most discrepancies between Haley’s political platform and from whom she accepts campaign funding. He believes other young, working-class voters see those discrepancies as well stating that this may be one angle Haley should consider when trying to appeal to Iowan voters. 

“It really does hurt real people…and if you ask any farmer that, they’ll tell you that too,” said Parke. 

While a recent Suffolk University poll is the first to find Haley with a clear lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Iowa, former President Donald Trump remains comfortably in the lead garnering the vote of 54% of likely caucus-goers. 

“You deserve better. You deserve an America without chaos. You deserve an America without drama,” said Haley as she wrapped up her speech in Ankeny before asking voters to sign commit-to-caucus cards.