Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley joins Republican senate candidate, Dave McCormick at a campaign rally on Oct. 30, 2024 in Pennsburg. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
PENNSBURG— Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley traveled to Pennsylvania on the final Wednesday before the 2024 election to rally support for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick in regions that have shifted away from the Republican Party over the past decade.
“I’m going to ask all of you to take the emotion out of this election. We need to take the emotion out of this election and really think about the policy and what it means for our kids and the next generation,” Haley told an audience in suburban Philadelphia.
“In six days, we finally will know our fate,” Haley said. “The reason I wanted to come here for Dave, I thought was so important is because when I look at his opponent, I actually get a little bit angry,” adding that Casey has voted with the Biden administration 98% of the time.
Haley spoke for just under 10 minutes, praising McCormick and linking his Democratic opponent, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), to the Biden-Harris administration.
Haley criticized Casey for supporting the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the CHIPS Act. During his bid for a fourth term in the Senate, Casey has touted these bills and how they have benefited Pennsylvanians. Haley also echoed much of the Republican Party’s messaging this cycle on the United States southern border and energy policies.
Haley lauded McCormick for signing a term limits pledge that he would serve no more than two terms and for backing a balanced budget amendment, which she believes would keep Democrats and Republicans in line on government spending.
Haley sought the Republican Party nomination for president in 2024, but bailed out of the race in March, which cleared the path for former President Donald Trump to secure the party’s nomination. McCormick didn’t endorse a candidate in the GOP primary for president until after Haley withdrew her candidacy, which is when he publicly announced his support for Trump.
Trump and Haley went back-and-forth on the campaign trail, with Haley accusing Trump of being unhinged and dangerous on the world stage, and Trump calling her “birdbrain” and insulting her husband’s military service.
Despite the jabs during the campaign, Haley endorsed Trump in July.
Nikki Haley withdraws from the GOP contest while declining to support Trump
Haley, once again asking the audience to take emotion out of the equation, urged them to support Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.
“We have to do more than just elect Dave McCormick,” she said. “We have to elect Donald Trump.”
“Because if Donald Trump wins Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick wins Pennsylvania,” Haley said.
McCormick delivered his usual stump speech for roughly 10 minutes, saying that he would bring “strong leadership to shake things up, to bring about change.”
“That’s what this race is about,” he said.
McCormick likened the current moment to 1980, when 80% of Americans thought the country was heading in the wrong direction, right before Ronald Reagan was elected president.
“My hope, my prayer is a couple years from now, I’ll be back in front of this group, President Trump will be in the White House, I’ll be your senator from Pennsylvania,” he said.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party criticized McCormick for his recent residency in Connecticut, comments he made during the 2022 U.S. Senate race on abortion policy, and investments made in China while he was a hedge fund manager at Bridgewater.
“Pennsylvanians can’t trust David McCormick to be for them,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson TaNisha Cameron.
Craig Snyder is a former chief of staff to the late Pennsylvania GOP U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and leads a “Haley Voters for Harris” coalition.
He told the Capital-Star on Wednesday that he believes Haley campaigning for McCormick in Pennsylvania “may do some marginal good” for McCormick, but doesn’t believe it will really play much into the presidential race.
“In other words, I think that at this point, a very large group of the Haley voters are going to vote for Harris for President,” Snyder told the Capital-Star. “I think you’re actually going to see tickets splitting in both directions.”
Snyder said he believes “you will see” Harris-McCormick voters who are primarily women in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, while there will be a “a significant number” of Trump-Casey voters in the areas the Casey family has been historically strong, including around Scranton.
After Haley exited from the presidential race, Biden and Harris made overtures to win over those Republicans who supported her candidacy.
During the 2024 primary in Pennsylvania, Haley received 158,000 votes, or 16%, despite ending her candidacy one month before the election.
Her strongest counties were in the Philadelphia suburbs, receiving just under 25% of the vote in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties. She also tallied just under 20% in Allegheny and Bucks counties.
Following the rally, supporters lined up to shake hands with Haley and take pictures with her.
“It’s great to be out here with Dave, we’re going to take Pennsylvania,” Haley said to reporters following. She did not respond to reporters’ questions when asked if she would be campaigning alongside Trump before the election. Trump reportedly has not requested Haley to campaign for him.
McCormick did not take questions following the rally. He and Haley are scheduled to hold a rally in Allegheny County on Wednesday evening.
Dina Powell McCormick, Dave’s wife, opened up for Haley at the rally. She spoke for several minutes about their similarities, including working together during the Trump administration. She was the United States Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy during the Trump administration, while Haley was the ambassador to the United Nations.
Casey was campaigning in Lancaster on Wednesday with former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Ron Castille, a Republican, who is supporting his candidacy. Earlier this week, Casey joined former President Barack Obama for a rally in Philadelphia, where he said “there is nobody who is more humble, more honest, more rooted in his community, more dedicated to this great state than Bob Casey.”
York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, the Republican Party’s nominee for attorney general, also spoke at the rally on Wednesday in support of McCormick’s candidacy.
“As a prosecutor, I can’t do it by myself,” Sunday said. “And what I’m going to need as attorney general to fight to keep fentanyl off our streets. I’m going to need a United States Senator that’ll work with me every single day to do what we can to protect Pennsylvanians and that person will be Dave McCormick.”
Wednesday was Haley’s first rally with McCormick.
Montgomery County, the third most populous county in the state, has hosted several high profile campaign events throughout the U.S. Senate race. Biden, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Gov. Josh Shapiro have campaigned for Casey in the county during the homestretch of the campaign.
Trump lost all of the collar counties and Allegheny County, where Haley and McCormick are campaigning on Wednesday evening.
Polling shows the race has tightened between Casey and McCormick, with the incumbent leading in most, although within the margin of error.
A trio of national ratings outlets have slightly different range of ratings for the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the race as “leans Democratic;” Inside Elections says the race is “tilt Democratic;” and the Cook Political Report rating it as a “toss-up.”
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