This pro-Trump Democrat now believes GOP would be 'best served' by nominating Nikki Haley

27 October 2023

In contrast to all the right-wing Never Trump conservatives who supported now-President Joe Biden in 2020, 78-year-old Andrew Stein is a long-time Democrat who favored Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. But in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on October 26, Stein endorses former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president in 2024.

Stein is a veteran of Democratic politics in New York City, where he served as Manhattan borough president from 1978-1985 before heading the New York City Council from 1986-1994. But unlike most Democrats, he is very pro-Trump.

Nonetheless, Stein argues, in his WSJ op-ed, that because of Trump's legal problems, Haley would be a stronger nominee for the Republican Party. Trump remains the clear frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place and Haley in third place.

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"I supported Donald Trump twice," the former New York City Council president writes, "but I now think the country would be best served with a different candidate in 2024 — Nikki Haley…. Mr. Trump's poll numbers show him with a clear path to the Republican nomination and rising ahead of Joe Biden. Given his mounting legal troubles, however, today's polling may prove irrelevant. If Mr. Trump is found guilty of some of the charges against him, voters would have to choose between an old felon and an old fool."

Stein believes that Haley "is likely to have a broader appeal than Mr. Trump for independents and suburbanites, especially women."

"The Democrats hope (Trump) wins the nomination and is convicted of felonies, leading him to lose the presidential election," Stein writes. "Republicans need to consolidate around Ms. Haley so they have a credible nominee who can take on any Democrat."

Read Andrew Stein's full Wall Street Journal op-ed at this link (subscription required).

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