Biden campaign meets with Nikki Haley supporters after she says she’ll vote for Trump.

Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley recently announced her plan to vote for former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. This decision sparked immediate action from the Biden campaign, who organized a virtual meeting with Haley’s supporters the same evening. The meeting, orchestrated by Robert Schwartz, the executive director of the anti-Trump Haley Voters Working Group, brought together various Haley supporters from different states, including members of the “Women for Nikki” coalition.

The deputy political director of the Biden campaign, Juan Peñalosa, took the opportunity to address the importance of Haley’s coalition in the effort to defeat Trump. Schwartz highlighted that while some of Haley’s supporters might consider voting for the president, there are significant policy disagreements that set them apart from Mr. Biden.

According to Schwartz, many of Haley’s supporters are contemplating writing in her name instead of voting for Biden. The diversity of opinions within the coalition makes it clear that the Biden campaign is not merely preaching to the converted. Despite ending her presidential bid earlier this year, Haley has managed to garner hundreds of thousands of votes across various Republican primaries, including crucial swing states.

For instance, in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania back in April, over 157,000 voters cast their ballots for Haley, representing about 16% of the total share of votes. Similarly, in Wisconsin’s primary also held in April, Haley secured nearly 13% of the GOP vote, with close to 77,000 supporters. Although Biden emerged victorious in these states in 2020, his narrow margins of victory highlight the significance of appealing to Haley’s voter base.

Schwartz has been instrumental in communicating the priorities of Haley supporters to the Biden campaign, such as issues concerning Israel and the crisis at the U.S. southern border. He has actively collaborated with Biden’s reelection team to understand what aspects of Haley’s platform resonated with Republican voters and how best to engage with them.

Following Haley’s endorsement of Trump, Alissa Baker, a former volunteer for Haley and member of the working group, expressed her continued opposition to the current president. Baker emphasized that Haley’s decision does not influence her own voting stance and appreciates that Haley has refrained from endorsing any particular candidate to her supporters.

In response to their collaboration with the Haley Voters Working Group, the Biden campaign stressed their dedication to reaching out to moderate Republican and independent voters. While Trump continues to alienate these voter groups, the Biden campaign is actively working to earn their support and bridge ideological divides. Aaron Navarro contributed to this insightful story that sheds light on the evolving dynamics of the upcoming election.