Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for labeling her a candidate of the Republican Party “establishment,” saying his remarks were “what a candidate says when they are losing.”
“There is nothing establishment about a candidate who was the tea party candidate who ran for governor,” Haley said on Fox News, seemingly referring to her 2010 gubernatorial victory. “I think he is saying what he has to say because he is grasping at this point.”
The latest back-and-forth between Haley and DeSantis reflects the intensifying competition between the two presidential hopefuls as they seek to consolidate support and mount a challenge to the current GOP primary front-runner, former President Donald Trump, with less than seven weeks until the first nominating contest in Iowa.