Nikki Haley scheduled to mine Republican donor money close to Trump's Mar-a-Lago
Iowa? New Hampshire? Republican White House hopeful Nikki Haley is looking ahead, and planning to raise money in Donald Trump's backyard and from the former president's neighbors.
Haley is slated to attend a fundraising event in Palm Beach on Jan. 31. The location has not been made public but it is expected to be in the same zip code as Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence and private club.
The invite for the event featuring the former U.N. ambassador and ex-South Carolina governor was circulated the week of Jan. 8 as polls showed Haley topping Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa, which holds its caucuses Monday evening, though she remains significantly behind Trump. In New Hampshire, where voters will cast ballots in a Jan. 23 primary, polls have Haley performing better against Trump.
A USA TODAY/Boston Globe/Suffolk University Poll released Tuesday, Jan. 9 showed Trump leading Haley 46% to 26% in New Hampshire. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign this week, was behind Haley at 12%, with DeSantis at 8% and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 2%.
Who's listed on invite to Haley Palm Beach fundraiser?
The invitation for the Palm Beach event listed about 23 millionaires and billionaires. Some on the list include former diplomats, like Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, entrepreneurs like Ken Langone, who organized financing for Home Depot, and John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi.
This isn't the first time Haley has ventured to Trump's town in search of votes and dollars. She attended a Club for Growth retreat at The Breakers last February — when Trump wasn't invited.
Iowa Republican caucus 2024: How important are the Iowa caucuses? Here's what to know about the first caucus.
2023 in polls: How did Donald Trump flip the script on Ron DeSantis? The past 12 months tell the story.
Whether she can overtake Trump remains to be seen.
But Haley's fundraising among big-time political donors, executives and entrepreneurs, appears to be besting DeSantis. Last year, the governor spent much of the winter and spring bringing major donors to retreats in South Florida, particularly in Palm Beach, to mine GOP money.
Haley's campaign recently announced a $24 million gain in campaign money in the last three months of 2023. Starting out 2024 with another campaign haul in Palm Beach could bring the presidential candidate an important boost in funds in the still-early presidential primary calendar.
Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Nikki Haley to woo Republican donors at fundraiser near Mar-a-Lago
