Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, first lady Abby Cox endorse Nikki Haley for president

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and first lady Abby Cox, wife of Gov. Spencer Cox, on Thursday endorsed Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, just days before the first votes of the 2024 GOP primary are to be cast in the Iowa caucuses.

Haley’s campaign announced the endorsements from Henderson and Cox on Wednesday. Although the former ambassador and governor of South Carolina is in Iowa preparing for Monday’s caucuses, local supporters of Haley joined both women in announcing their support on the steps of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City Thursday afternoon.

Pointing to Haley’s “solid leadership record on both domestic and foreign policy,” Cox urged Utahns and Americans to consider supporting Haley, who she said is “committed to the rule of law and our country’s veterans.”

“She brings a steady hand that communicates a clear and honest path forward and never shrinks from principle,” Cox said.

Henderson pointed out that polling shows that Haley would match up favorably in a hypothetical general election against President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“We can take nothing for granted in this constitutional republic,” she said. “Nikki Haley is a proven leader and a proven listener. Nikki Haley is the only Republican candidate who beats the incumbent by 17 points. We cannot afford to sleepwalk into our future. It’s time for a new generation of leadership in the White House. It’s time for President Nikki Haley.”

Cox said her husband has not yet decided who to endorse in 2024. The governor has previously told reporters he would like to support a fellow current or former governor for the presidency.

Several state and business leaders joined in support of Haley, including Henderson, Cox, business leader Ally Isom, state Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, state Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, business leader Crystal Maggelet, state Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, state Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, policy adviser Margaret Busse, former Congressman Rob Bishop, former Utah House Speaker Nolan Karras and business leader Scott Anderson.

Although former President Donald Trump leads in most polls among Republican voters, Haley has recently replaced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the rising star in the GOP field, and hopes to exceed expectations in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, before heading to her home state of South Carolina.

Henderson said Haley’s growing poll numbers show she’s moving in the right direction, and feels the candidate’s message is resonating with Republicans.

“We have seen a surge. She was a long-shot candidate at the beginning — very low in the polls — she’s been rising,” the lieutenant governor said. “She is proving that she is … the type of leader that Republicans want, that America wants, and we’ll see what happens.”

“We certainly hope that we’re adding our voice to the momentum that’s building,” she added.

A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted in October found Haley’s support growing among Utahns, though she still trailed the former president. National polling averages show Haley running neck-and-neck with DeSantis in second place, but well behind Trump who has consistently garnered a majority of party support.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is currently running behind Haley and Desantis with just over 4% support, while former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is polling just shy of 1%. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race Wednesday.