Haley says RNC "clearly not" honest broker in Republican primary
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GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday blasted the Republican National Committee for pressuring her to exit the race.
Why it matters: The former UN ambassador, who has remained behind former President Trump in polling, has faced growing calls to drop out, especially after failing to win the New Hampshire primary.
What she's saying: Haley said the RNC has "clearly not" been an honest broker in the Republican primary while speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press" anchor Kristen Welker.
- "If you're gonna go and basically tell the American people that you're gonna go and decide who the nominee is after only two states have voted, I mean — 48 states out there — this is a democracy," Haley said.
- "The American people want to have their say in who is gonna be their nominee. We need to give them that," the former South Carolina governor added.
Catch up quick: Haley's ire stems from a draft resolution that would have named Trump the 2024 Republican nominee at a time when she remains in the race.
- The resolution was largely symbolic, as the former president still would need the required 1,215 delegates as required by RNC rules to officially get the nomination.
- An RNC spokesperson told CNN that Chair Ronna McDaniel had no involvement in the resolution, but confirmed that the Resolution Committee would consider the proposal for a vote at the party's winter meeting. That event is scheduled for this week in Las Vegas.
- Maryland RNC member David Bossie — who wrote the resolution —withdrew it on Thursday after considerable backlash. Even Trump weighed in via Truth Social saying "for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan."
- Instead, Trump said he "should do it the 'Old Fashioned' way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX."
Worth noting: Several top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) called on Haley to drop out of the race on Jan. 23 after Trump won New Hampshire.
- Last week, McDaniel also called on Republicans to "unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump."
On Sunday, Haley said she thinks "Americans want to be able to make this decision themselves. I don't think this is the place of the RNC to do it."
- "As long as I keep growing per state, I am in this race. I have every intention of going to Super Tuesday, through Super Tuesday. We're going to keep on going and see where this gets us," she said.
- Super Tuesday is set for March 5. South Carolina and Nevada will cast primary votes in February.
Go deeper: Trump allies target Nikki Haley in extreme pressure campaign
