Sen. Rand Paul Declares ‘Never Nikki’ In Anti-Endorsement For 2024

Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an anti-endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley early on Jan. 12.

The video announcement came after a tease that he’d have “something important to say” about the upcoming 2024 presidential race.

The Republican from Kentucky attacked Ms. Haley’s foreign policy positions, comparing them to those of the “Dick Cheney, John McCain wing of the party.”

As I look over the GOP candidates for President, I don’t yet have a first choice. But I do know one thing: count me in as #NeverNikki! If you want freedom of speech and oppose forever-wars join me https://t.co/OBNnT6ZhjP. pic.twitter.com/qxluyL7aIj

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 12, 2024

He stated that Ms. Haley is the only candidate with whom he’d be uncomfortable as the GOP nominee.

“I’m not yet ready to make a decision, but I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support. So I’m announcing this morning that I’m ‘never Nikki,’” the lawmaker said, referencing the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador.

When speaking about the other candidates, Mr. Paul was more charitable.

“I’ve had a long relationship with Donald Trump, and there’s a lot to like there,” he said. “I’m also a big fan of a lot of the fiscal conservatism of Ron DeSantis. I think Vivek Ramaswamy has been an important voice [and I] also have listened to and met with the independent [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.].

But, “I don’t think any informed or knowledgeable libertarian or conservative should support Nikki Haley. I’ve seen her attitude towards our event [and] our interventions overseas. I’ve seen her involvement in the military-industrial complex, $8 million being paid to become part of a team.”

Mr. Paul also disagreed with Ms. Haley’s ideals on internet usage, saying he stands against making individuals register to use the internet: “I think she fails to understand that our Republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, [James] Madison, John Jay, and others who posted routinely—for fear of the government—they posted routinely anonymously.

“And I think her failure to really understand that or to think that you should register through the government somehow on the internet is something that should disqualify her in the minds of all libertarian and libertarian-leaning conservatives.”

Mr. Paul teased his news the afternoon before with a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Following his video statement, Mr. Paul also pointed to Ms. Haley’s stance on the United Nations, where she served as U.S. ambassador, as problematic in a series of posts on X.

“She repeatedly praised the U.N. Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres, former president of Socialist International] and declared that they ’think alike,’” said Mr. Paul. And she was positive about the “results” the United Nations achieved and “the people who ran it.”

The Kentucky senator encouraged voters to go to nevernikki.net and “show her that you’re ‘never Nikki’ also.”

“I’ve stayed out of the Republican Presidential Primary so far—but I’ve seen enough. That’s why tomorrow morning I will have something important to say.”

In the leadup to the first primary—the Republican Party of Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucus—former President Donald Trump has maintained a commanding lead.

Two fresh polls conducted only in Iowa reveal that the margin between the former president and his primary competitors is as great as it has ever been.

The results of a poll conducted by Morning Consult and published on Jan. 8 indicate that 58 percent of the anticipated caucus attendees in Iowa will vote for President Trump. Fourteen percent of respondents indicated that they will be voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while 15 percent stated they will support Nikki Haley.

Lastly, 9 percent of respondents indicated they would choose businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. From Jan. 1 to Jan 7, a total of 181 prospective Republican caucus attendees were included in the survey, which had a margin of error of 5 to 7 percent.

Nikki Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.