Haley gains ground, major support ahead of Iowa caucuses

(NewsNation) — The Iowa caucuses are just weeks away and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is making an end-of-year push for votes, evening going after her top competitors.

Haley has already hosted a handful of town hall events throughout Iowa, trying to gain some ground in the Hawkeye State. Like former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Haley has a busy campaigning week ahead.

At an event on Monday, Haley was more aggressive with her attacks on her fellow rivals for the Republican nomination.

She accused DeSantis of lying about her in his recent campaign ads. She even took aim at Trump as well.

“I’ve never talked about our opponents. But now, if they punch me, I punch back. And I punch back harder,” Haley said. “Ron DeSantis, every single commercial he’s done has been a lie.”

She continued, “I think President Trump was the right president at the right time. I had a good working relationship with him. I agreed with a lot of his policies. But rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. You know I’m right, chaos follows him.”

With all eyes on early-voting states, Haley also released a new $10 million ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, targeting President Joe Biden’s age.

While Trump isn’t directly mentioned in the ad, Haley’s campaign described her remarks as a swipe at her top opponent in the GOP race.

It’s something she touched on at her town hall event as well, advocating for policies to keep elected officials in check.

“I’ll just say it, Biden’s too old. And Congress is the most exclusive nursing home in America. Washington keeps failing because politicians from yesterday can’t lead us to tomorrow — a new conservative president,” Haley said.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has stood by his endorsement of Nikki Haley, calling criticism from Trump a mere ploy to “stir up his base” ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary.

Sununu claimed Haley was the only candidate who had momentum, and that he looks forward to her becoming the nation’s next president.

The former South Carolina governor accused DeSantis of “embracing the most anti-Israel Republican in Congress: Rep. Thomas Massie” on the campaign trail.

A volunteer for Haley’s team was planted at the DeSantis fire-side chat in Iowa last night, asking him to clarify why he is looking for Massie’s support.

“He votes against anything having to do with foreign relations. I disagree with that. We don’t see eye to eye on that. But my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy. And we have to stop thinking that way as Republicans,” DeSantis said.

As for Tuesday’s agenda in Iowa, Haley and DeSantis continue to host events with voters later in the day. Trump is scheduled to arrive in the state on Tuesday as well.