
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 18 December and has been republished ahead of the Iowa caucuses to reflect Nikki Haley’s surge in support. The final poll before the Iowa caucuses, conducted by NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom, shows Haley edging out Ron DeSantis with 20 per cent versus his 16 per cent; both candidates trail behind Donald Trump, who took 48 per cent in the poll. Voters in Iowa will kick-off the 2024 presidential race tonight, and results are expected at around 01:45 GMT on Tuesday morning.
At the Republican presidential primary debate in Miami on 8 November, the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came prepared to deliver what he imagined would be a zinger against his rival Nikki Haley. “Do you want a leader from a different generation who’s going to put this country first?” he asked. “Or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels?” “They’re five-inch heels,” Haley replied to cheers from the audience. “They’re not for a fashion statement, they’re for ammunition.”