The campaign of former U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley for the GOP presidential nomination claims that she is now the sole plausible choice to beat former President Donald Trump.

Trump remains by far the front-runner with a significant advantage in Republican primary polling.

Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager, asserted in a memo released to reporters that Haley is the only contender with a real chance of performing well in both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, which are crucial early-voting states.

The memo referenced a recent Des Moines Register poll, which indicated that Trump was maintaining a strong lead in Iowa, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Haley in a tie for second place. However, Haley had gained ten points since the previous poll in August, whereas DeSantis had dropped by three points.

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The memo stated that DeSantis was currently experiencing a decline and was not likely to perform well in Iowa, and even if he did, his weak position in New Hampshire and South Carolina meant that he had no end game. The memo also called Haley “a rising star in Iowa.”

Haley’s campaign also contested the assertion made by DeSantis’s campaign that 90% of his followers would still vote for Trump if he withdrew from the race, describing it as “complete nonsense.”

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