2024 Watch: Haley’s top adviser poached by Pence as GOP shadow presidential election heats up

Two and a half months after the midterm elections, traditionally the starting point for the next presidential election cycle, former President Trump has become the only major Republican to run for the Republican Party nomination.

But behind the scenes — away from the spotlight and the media headlines — likely and potential Republican candidates in the White House are taking steps, including an apparent clash of elbows between some of the more prominent contenders.

On Friday, former Vice President Mike Pence’s team hired a top adviser to a likely contender for the nomination, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served with Pence as UN ambassador to former President Donald Trump’s administration.

Tim Chapman, who served as executive director of the Haley-affiliated political advocacy group, joined Pence’s team as a senior advisor at the former vice president’s nonprofit Advancing American Freedom.

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“I am grateful for the time spent with Nikki Haley and her dedicated team,” Chapman said in a statement.

Chapman’s working relationship with Pence dates back to two decades when he worked for the conservative Heritage Foundation and Pence was a congressman from Indiana.

Advancing American Freedom is one of the fastest growing and increasingly influential conservative groups in the country, and I am thrilled to join the incredible team that is building the AAF as the leader of sound conservative politics to help rebuild America,” Chapman said.

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Pence described Chapman as “one of the brightest stars in the conservative movement, and we’re so excited to have him join the team to advance the cause of American culture, American opportunity, and American leadership.”

Haley’s team released a heartfelt statement in which Betsy Ankney of Haley’s Stand for America PAC said, “Chapman is amazing and we’re delighted he’s found a great place to continue championing conservative political causes.”

Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina, during the Jewish Republican Coalition’s annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas, November 19, 2022.
(Rhonda Churchill/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Chapman’s theft comes as likely contenders begin recruiting and staffing not only at their headquarters, but also in key early-voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, which host the first four contests on the calendar. Republican presidential nominations for 2024.

Pence was spotted by Fox News during his visit to New Hampshire last month on his way to meet with a pair of seasoned Republican strategists and operatives.

“Whether it’s New Hampshire, Iowa, or South Carolina, there’s always a financial component, a press component, and a political component,” a source in the former vice president’s broader political orbit told Fox News. “A lot of that political component is spending time building relationships with people in these early states who know how to get things done.”

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Recruitment and personnel records management is a time-tested tradition in presidential politics.

“There is a limited amount of talent available for presidential campaigns, and there is intense competition for them in large, multi-candidate areas. You see it before every presidential cycle when there’s an open chance for the nomination.” – Ryan Williams, longtime Republican consultant and a veteran of numerous presidential campaigns, Fox News told Fox News.

“Also, despite President Trump being the front-runner for the Republican nomination, there is a lot of anxiety among employees about working for him. So there is a desire to look at some of the other candidates in this field and jump on board.”

Williams emphasized that “now is the time. We are at the beginning of the process. The people who join now will get some of the top jobs and reap the rewards if the candidate wins the nomination and wins the White House. The earlier you enter, the more benefits you get.”

File photos of former Ambassador and Governor Nikki Haley (left) and former Vice President Mike Pence.
(AP)

Pence and Haley may soon face off in the campaign trail.

The former vice president, who is touring the country on a book tour in support of his new memoir God Help Me, is taking the steps necessary to launch a presidential campaign.

And Haley, who has long publicly mulled over a White House election, said in a Fox News Special Report a few days ago, “I think we need the younger generation to come in and step up and really start making things right… Can I be that a leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.”

Behind the scenes, relations have been strained between some in the Pence and Haley camps since the Trump-Pence 2020 re-election campaign, when rumors surfaced that Haley would replace Pence as the running mate.

Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is also likely to run for president, mentions in his upcoming autobiography speculation that Haley was behind attempts to potentially replace Pence.

Haley, in her Fox News interview with Brett Bayer, called such claims “lies and gossip.”

When asked about the episode and recent comments, a source in Pence’s world wrote “laughs” in response to Fox News’ Rich Edson.

Trump’s position in the poll

More than two years after his 2020 election loss at the hands of Joe Biden, Trump remains the most powerful politician and ardent fundraiser in the Republican Party. Until recently, he was the clear and overwhelming leader in early 2024 Republican presidential nomination polls.

But in several opinion polls released last month, Trump trails Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican nominee in the White House whose influence among conservatives across the country has skyrocketed over the past three years.

Last week, after the release of a new list of polls that showed the former president leading DeSantis and the rest of the possible GOP slate in hypothetical primaries by double digits, the pro-Trump main political committee touted the results.

“Multiple polls over the past week show that President Trump is well ahead of potential Republican presidential candidates in the primary. Poll after poll confirms that President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party,” said Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc. release for supporters claimed.

Former President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on November 15, 2022, officially announces his participation in the 2024 presidential race.
(Eva Marie Uscategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Following the November election, the former president came under fire for his role in the GOP’s lackluster midterm results for promoting polarizing candidates who lost key statewide races. He received some unfavorable reviews after launching his campaign in mid-November at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and has faced a lot of criticism for controversial comments and actions over the past two months.

But with recent election history as a benchmark, it’s politically unwise to discount Trump.

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“Saving America from Joe Biden and the Democrats will require bold leadership and transformational change—this is not a job for untested professional politicians,” said Taylor Budovich of MAGA Inc. in a statement to Fox News.

“President Trump will not only dominate the Republican primaries, but will unite the nation around his America First program, which has brought generational economic prosperity, global peace and secure communities. President Trump has been exposed and their political future is destroyed forever.”

Trump will hold his first campaign event of 2024 next weekend in South Carolina.