(DailyVantage.com) – On Wednesday, Ralph Norman (R-SC), a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, endorsed former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley for President.
Norman announced his endorsement just one day after Haley officially declared her candidacy for president against her former boss, Donald Trump.
This comes as a bit of a surprise, as the House Freedom Caucus is very vocal about their support for Trump.
The Caucus has been dominating news headlines as of late. First, with their forceful obstruction to Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) Speakership bid in January. The ultra conservative cadre of MAGA loyalists sent the vote for speaker into a 15th ballot, making American history. At one point, Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who spearheaded the charge against McCarthy becoming Speaker, did a right-in vote for Donald Trump for Speaker.
Ralph Norman, it should be noted, was one of the 20 Caucus members to oppose McCarthy.
Secondly, the Caucus has been, and continues to be, vehemently opposed to any measure that would raise the debt ceiling. Caucus members are unbending in their alignment with fiscally conservative principles.
Again, Norman himself has come out in favor of efforts to increase the debt ceiling saying “…we’ve got to make some headway with the deficit we’ve got.”
In regards to his endorsement of Haley over Trump, Norman told Fox News that “…most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership with a new vision at the top of the ticket.” Norman went on to say that he believes Haley, more so than anyone else, is the right person to deliver that vision.
Whether or not Norman will be the only member of the Freedom Caucus to endorse Haley is yet to be seen. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have all endorsed Trump for President in 2024.
Copyright 2023, DailyVantage.com
