DeSantis, Haley Present Themselves to GOP Jews as Trump’s Top Challengers
Ben SamuelsNov 20, 2022
LAS VEGAS – Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley headlined the final night of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual confab in Nevada, aiming to send a clear message to Donald Trump and GOP voters that they are the party’s future.
They spoke following a whirlwind 24 hours of potential 2024 candidates laying out their vision for the party after the disappointing midterms in which the Republican Party failed to take back the Senate and achieved only a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Speaking via satellite, Trump – the only declared candidate so far – had earlier sought to remind the crowd that any potential challenger had a massive hill to climb if they hoped to defeat him. However, the crowd at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino welcomed DeSantis as if he were Trump’s natural successor.
- Expected U.S. House speaker McCarthy vows to remove Rep. Omar from House committee
- Trump-sized elephant in room on Republican Jewish confab's first night
- Trump tells GOP Jews: I would’ve overseen Mideast peace if 2020 election not rigged
The Florida governor spoke to an audience that included dozens of young supporters standing aside the stage – a welcome no other speaker received over the weekend.
DeSantis opened his remarks by highlighting how his showing in the midterms was a national outlier for the Republicans, securing record margins with Hispanic voters and sweeping suburbs throughout his state. He described Florida as a “blueprint for success,” noting: “We’re all about exercising leadership and delivering results for the people that we represent.”
The governor notably stressed how he received the highest Jewish vote share of any Republican candidate in the state’s history. This was the silver lining GOP officials highlighted throughout the weekend.
He cited his record fighting short-term homestay firm Airbnb after it temporarily delisted 200 properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as promoting security measures for Jewish day schools and pushing Holocaust education initiatives. The governor said he rejected describing “Judea and Samaria as occupied territory,” instead calling the West Bank “disputed territory” while calling for public events to be held there.
The 44-year-old governor told the crowd an anecdote about bringing water back from the Sea of Galilee to baptize his children before a house cleaner threw out the bottle. Israeli supporters sent him new water within 24 hours after he made a plea for a replacement.
While promoting his record, DeSantis notably dropped the term “Zuckerbucks” – a reference to Facebook’s Jewish owner Mark Zuckerberg that the Anti-Defamation League has condemned as an antisemitic trope.
Haley, meanwhile, addressed her potential candidacy more explicitly than any other Republican official at the gathering. She said it was something she would “look at it in a serious way, and I’ll have more to say on it soon.” She noted how she had won tough primaries and general elections with no losses on her record. “I’ve never lost and I’m not going to start now,” she said to thunderous applause.
She joined the chorus of Republican officials calling the midterms a “disheartening” warning sign. “We have to choose candidates who can win not just a primary but also a general election,” she said. “We need real leaders with a record of delivering solutions,” she added.
Haley, 50, praised DeSantis as well as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. However, she refused to explicitly pin the blame on Trump and rejected the idea that an extreme candidate slate was the issue.
Instead, she decried fundraising differences, early-voting discrepancies and Democrats’ political unification. “It is time to quit eating our own,” she said. “It’s time for a younger generation to lead across the board.”
Haley also highlighted her support for Israel, saying it “shouldn’t have to wonder whether America stands with it after every election. I was proud to stand up to the bullies and haters of Israel at the UN. And it should never be partisan. And I’m proud to say I was the first governor to sign a law banning BDS,” she added.
She also repeated a line previously delivered at a Christians United for Israel gathering last July, about “the next president shredding a new Iran deal on her first day in office” – which earned among the weekend’s largest ovations.