Following Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s loss in New Hampshire, she attended a fundraiser event in Atherton on Feb. 6 to gain support for her 2024 elections campaign. According to Venture Capital investor Timothy Draper, one of two organizers of the Luncheon, the event was successful.
“She has done well,” Draper said. “As a startup that is doing well would attract my capital, so will she continue to attract my capital.”
Freshman Tessa Berney, who became interested in the 2024 elections through Speech and Debate, said Haley’s decision to continue fundraising is surprising.
“It’s a waste of her time honestly,” Berney said. “She’s going to drop out pretty soon because she’s losing state after state in places she should have won, which is kind of embarrassing.”
Despite disagreeing with Haley’s stance on multiple policies such as reproductive rights, Berney said she admires Haley’s resilience in opposing Trump.
“I commend her for continuing to run,” Berney said. “I know a lot of people say Donald Trump is going to win the Republican primaries, but she’s still (staying in the election).”
U.S. Foreign Policy teacher John Bungarden said he presumes Haley is still in the race on the off chance that Trump’s legal trials go amiss.
“She’ll be the person still there,” Bundargen said. “If the legal trouble for Trump continues (she could step in).”
As of Jan 26. Draper said the polls are still in Haley’s favor and he thinks Haley has a strong chance of winning.
“She has gone from 2% to 43% of the vote (in New Hampshire) while all the other candidates have fallen off,” Draper said. “Trump is clearly afraid to debate her. As people get to know her, they want to join her effort. She will win.”
Gunn senior Chris Lee is Editor-in-Chief of the political magazine “The Chariot.” Lee said although he does not think Haley will win, he does think she will attract voters who are dissatisfied with other candidates.
“A lot of voters have expressed dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden, whether it’s the legal troubles (or) the age,” Lee said. “Nikki Haley has positioned herself and said, ‘I’m more moderate than Trump or I am younger than both candidates.’”
Lee also said students should follow the 2024 elections to learn more about crucial topics including abortion or the Israel-Hamas conflict as students’ votes in the elections can make a difference.
“If you look at people’s Instagram stories, there is a good amount of political dissatisfaction with a bunch of different things that are going on,” Lee said. “It’s almost hypocritical if we’re posting those things, and we’re not voting if you’re eligible.”
U.S. History teacher Stephen Foug said students can get involved by tracking specific issues and comparing what each candidate proposes.
“Find out which issue is most important to you and match that up with a candidate,” Foug said. “It takes the noise away and strips it down to like what (you) think is most important. The person in the White House (you) want is the person who reflects (your) values now in terms of keeping peace internationally, providing for people of our own country (and) finding the right people to do the right jobs.”
Freshman Avroh Shah said he is following each platform’s long-term goals and previous actions regarding climate change.
“I would like to see more progress being made (for climate change),” Shah said. “It’s something that candidates have overlooked. Biden, he has done a lot in his earlier presidency, but nothing really major has happened. There just needs to be some more momentum, especially among Republican candidates.”
Foug said regardless of which candidates are chosen for either party, voters should pay close attention to this election and not take anything for granted as sudden changes can always happen.
And while some students may think voting is futile, Foug said it is an important habit to develop.
“Even if you think it’s gonna be a foregone conclusion, like, whoever the Democrat is (will) win California, you get into that habit of having your voice – like brushing your teeth,” Foug said.
