Nikki Haley Is Playing the Long Game Against Donald Trump

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley maintained the positive momentum she has built up in her presidential campaign during Wednesday night's GOP primary debate, but experts said that may end up being more beneficial for future White House runs as no one has a chance of taking on Donald Trump in 2024.

Four Republican presidential hopefuls, not including Trump, the overwhelming primary frontrunner, took to the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the final live televised GOP primary debate of the year, with the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus just weeks away.

For Haley, the debate was a chance to capitalize on her rising star status in the GOP primary, buoyed by recent high profile endorsements and her strong performances in the previous debates. This positive momentum has resulted in many now considering her, rather than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as Trump's main challenger in the Republican race.

It seemed like the others on stage were wary of Haley's rise, with DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy aiming numerous attacks towards her, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the out and out anti-Trump primary candidate who only just managed to qualify for Wednesday's debate, targeting Haley and also defending her from the other candidates.

For her part, Haley seemed to relish the criticism she received from the other candidates on topics such as her recent support from billionaire donors.

"I love all the attention, fellas—thank you for that," Haley said. While defending the backing she has received from several Wall Street donors, Haley suggested the other candidates are "just jealous," and that the other Republicans "wish they were supporting them."

As with the other debates, what took place on stage in Alabama may prove to be essentially pointless. The former president is still maintaining huge leads in the polls ahead of the primary season.

But experts suggested that Haley did show she has the necessary skills and experience to one day become president, and said she is currently the best-placed candidate to finish behind Trump in the 2024 primary race.

"Nikki Haley was the target of many attacks from her fellow candidates—a clear sign she is now the frontrunner of the also rans," David B. Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Akron in Ohio, told Newsweek.

"Haley weathered the frontal attacks quite well as she once again showed she has the demeanor and policy chops necessary for a POTUS. With the calendar turning to 2024 next month, Haley is now best positioned to be the Trump alternative.

"In the end, however, none of this may matter because even though Donald Trump yet again failed to show up for the debate, it is doubtful this will lessen his huge lead in the polls. Republican primary voters just don't seem to care that the frontrunner for the nomination is too cowardly to debate for the nomination," Cohen added.

According to FiveThirtyEight's national average poll tracker, Trump leads the GOP primary on 59.6 percent, with DeSantis a distant second on 12.7 percent and Haley third on 10.6.

Tom Preston, a professor of communication at the University of North Georgia, also said Haley "defended well against a host of attacks" during the debate, but is facing the same issues as the other Republicans on stage on Tuesday night.

"To borrow a football analogy, none of the candidates delivered the 'hail Mary' capable of challenging Trump—and if they did, who was listening?" Preston told Newsweek.

Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, said that while Haley didn't have a particularly strong performance on Wednesday, the attacks on stage she received suggest the others in the race consider her to be a real threat.

"I don't really think any of the candidates did anything to move the needle—they were each retrenched in their now well-established brands," Freeder told Newsweek.

"That Haley has managed to roughly match DeSantis in this race is impressive, but it doesn't look like she'll enjoy anything more than split control of the non-Trump GOP vote with DeSantis—and to a lesser extent Christie—and therefore it's extremely unlikely that will be enough to allow her to challenge Trump in any meaningful sense."

Freeder added that Haley will not be able to build up enough support to topple Trump even if she manages to sweep up some voters who had previously backed DeSantis or Ramaswamy if they drop out of the race.

"I can't think of a single thing Haley—or DeSantis, or anyone—could do at this juncture to even make significant gains on Trump, let alone actually beat him," Freeder said.

"Haley's strong performance over the past several months should make her an automatic frontrunner for the 2028 GOP primary, and that's extremely important given that Trump won't be able to run again, leaving a wide-open field for potentially dozens of Republican candidates."

Update 12/07/23, 6:01 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Tom Preston.