Nikki Haley raises eyebrows with 'change personalities' comment as her momentum sparks increased scrutiny

In an interview with Iowa PBS, presidential candidate Nikki Haley caused surprise with her comments about "changing personalities" when moving from the Iowa caucuses to the New Hampshire primary, raising a few eyebrows among conservatives. Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and a Republican candidate for the presidency, was discussing potential changes to the sequence of state voting in the GOP primary, similar to what the Democrats did for their presidential primary process.

Haley noted that each state has its own distinctive character and personality, which she described in vivid detail at a recent Iowan event. Haley's comments come amidst increasing scrutiny as her popularity grows ahead of the Iowa and New Hampshire voting.

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis, who is in a close competition with Haley as her poll numbers rise, critiqued Haley's remark at an event in Des Moines, Iowa, saying the former diplomat is struggling with the heightened scrutiny. Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a DeSantis supporter, was equally critical on X, formerly Twitter.

However, Haley's campaign retorted to the bombardment, asserting her vision is resonating and her momentum is palpable. The campaign claimed DeSantis and Donald Trump are growing desperate and accused them of concocting feeble attacks as a result.

According to the latest polls from Iowa, Trump retains a significant lead over his competitors, but the gap between Haley and DeSantis has closed, with the two vying for second place. Haley has previously been critiqued for other public missteps, such as her failure to mention slavery as the cause of the Civil War during a town hall in New Hampshire, and her remarks implying New Hampshire voters 'correct' the decisions made by their Iowan counterparts.

Standing up to the intensified attacks from Trump and her other rivals, Haley joked in an Iowa town hall about getting excessive attention. She also disparaged Trump's latest ad against her, and reassured Iowan voters about her stance on the wall. Haley concluded that if her competitors resort to lying, it's a sign they're losing, promising to refute them with the truth.