The first direct challenger to Donald Trump to be Republican nominee for the 2024 presidency of the United States is a Christian.
Nikki Haley served as US ambassador to the United Nations under Trump and also held office twice as Governor of the state of South Carolina.
"I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," Haley said in a video that her team sent out by email. She added, “It’s time for a new generation of leadership – to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose".
In the message, Haley also spoke about the state's response to a church shooting in Charleston in 2015, saying that when evil came, they "turned away from fear towards God and the values that still make our country the freest and greatest in the world." She added that America needed to "turn in that direction again."
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley became South Carolina's first female governor and the first Indian-American to lead the state. If she wins her party's presidential nomination in 2024, she would make history again as the first woman and first Asian-American to run as a Republican presidential candidate.
Other high-profile Republicans looking at a 2024 run include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, among others.
