A super PAC affiliated with former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 reelection campaign released an ad on Tuesday attacking former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for the first time this election cycle.
Make America Great Again Inc.’s 30-second “Really” ad slams Haley for increasing the gas tax after promising not to do so. “New Hampshire can’t afford Nikki ‘High Tax’ Haley,” a narrator says.
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The ad started airing Tuesday in the Boston media market — which covers New Hampshire, home to the second nominating GOP contest — and comes after Haley snagged the coveted endorsement of popular Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) this month.
This is the latest sign that Trump and his allies are taking Haley’s surge in the campaign more seriously after the former ambassador began to rival Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in some early state voting polls. Until now, Trump has mostly brushed off Haley with derogatory nicknames such as “birdbrain,” but the negative ad marks an escalation in the primary.
NEW: Pro-Donald Trump group MAGA Inc. is up on TV in New Hampshire markets with this spot —
Male voiceover:
“New Hampshire can’t afford Nikki ‘High Tax’ Haley” pic.twitter.com/UHaVkXdlVo
— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) December 19, 2023
Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for MAGA Inc., claimed the group was simply “exposing” Haley to GOP voters ahead of the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.
“MAGA Inc. remains committed to exposing the career politicians who are undeserving of the Republican nomination,” Leavitt wrote. “Nikki Haley has lied to increase taxes, she has lied to get in the race, and she will try to lie to win it. We won’t let another tax-and-spend politician try to fool the voters.”
Haley’s record as governor shows that in 2014, she rejected calls from the state legislature to increase the gas tax. As a presidential candidate, she has campaigned on repealing the federal gas and diesel tax.
Haley responded to the attack on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, by taunting the Trump campaign.
“Two days ago, Donald Trump denied our surge in New Hampshire existed,” she wrote. “Now, he’s running a negative ad against me. Someone’s getting nervous.”
Two days ago, Donald Trump denied our surge in New Hampshire existed.
Now, he’s running a negative ad against me.
Someone’s getting nervous. #BringIt
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) December 19, 2023
Although Trump leads his rivals in national and state polls, Haley has seen her numbers steadily increase since the first GOP primary debate in late August. A strong debate performance and pointed attacks against biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have endeared her to a growing segment of GOP primary voters.
Nevertheless, the former president has an advantageous lead.
Trump bests the GOP field at 62.9%, while DeSantis is at 12.1%, and Haley is at 11.6%, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average. In a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday, Haley is closing in on Trump at 29%, although the former president is still in a commanding lead at 44%, and DeSantis is at 11%.
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As Haley has begun to rival DeSantis for second place in the primary, the attacks between the two campaigns have escalated. The latest attack came from Haley’s campaign, as it has repeatedly questioned the Florida governor for campaigning with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), whom it claims is the “most anti-Israel Republican in Congress.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the DeSantis campaign for a response.
