Over 500 republicans packed the Grand Ballroom at the Stamford Hilton on Wednesday night, turning out in high numbers to hear presidential contender and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
Haley is not the strongest contender, by some estimates, and the message she delivered carried a markedly different tone than other candidates: almost one of parental chastisement instead of a fire-and-brimstone sermon.
“No more complaining, no more whining”, was a frequent refrain.
She highlighted her track record, claiming the following accomplishments from her days as South Carolina’s governor:
- bringing back manufacturing
- lowering unemployment from 11% to 4%
- sending 35,000 people from welfare back to work
- reforming prison system
She took on a few of the contentious issues, mentioning the “tough truths”: the soaring debt, Chinese money flowing into American university systems, and the fentanyl epidemic, noting, “don’t think for a second that China doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
The biggest round of applause however, had to do with the hot topic of trans women taking over sports. “We have biological boys playing in girls’ sports, it is the women’s issue of our time—where IS everybody?”
Other press articles:
CT Mirror, Erica Philips’ article is here: https://ctmirror.org/2023/05/31/nikki-haley-ct-republicans-prescott-bush-dinner-debt-ceiling/
Hartford Courant, Chris Keating’s article is here: https://www.courant.com/2023/05/31/nikki-haley-brings-presidential-campaign-to-connecticut-with-4-stops-in-24-hours/