Nikki Haley is headed to Iowa in June for a gathering with voters in the staunchly conservative 4th Congressional District, a major battleground in the Republican presidential nominating caucuses.
The former United States ambassador to the United Nations, who is eyeing a 2024 White House bid, is scheduled to be the special guest at the second annual "Feenstra Family Picnic" in Sioux Center, hosted by Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA). Last year's headliner was former Vice President Mike Pence.
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“I’m excited to welcome Ambassador Nikki Haley to Iowa for my second annual Feenstra Family Picnic,” Feenstra said in a statement issued Tuesday. “From standing up to China to promoting our American values, she served our country with integrity and vision both at home and abroad. I am grateful for her work on behalf of Iowa and our country.”
Feenstra represents northwestern Iowa's 4th Congressional District, whose voters are often influential in the state's presidential nominating caucuses.
The contest begins the GOP White House primary every four years, and Feenstra is emerging as a power broker for Republican presidential contenders who want to establish a relationship with his constituents.
“Randy Feenstra is a bold, conservative voice for rural America and hardworking Iowa families,” Haley said in a statement.
Haley, 50, was governor of South Carolina for six years before accepting a job in the administration of former President Donald Trump.
She has made multiple visits to Iowa since resigning as U.N. ambassador and is active on the Republican fundraising circuit, and on behalf of GOP candidates running in the midterm elections, as she lays the foundation for a presidential campaign.
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Haley said she will not seek the White House in 2024 if Trump decides to mount a campaign for a second term.
Other Republican alumni of the Trump administration interested in running for president, including Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have declined to make such a public pledge.