Our latest book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. The 2024 race has begun. The DeSantis campaign has been troubled.
A conservative website has been accused of racist dog-whistling after it posted a bizarre poll about Nikki Haley’s background.
“Did you know that Nikki Haley’s parents are immigrants from India and her birth name is Nimarata Randhawa?” The Florida Standard posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
The site, which has a small following of just under 7,700 followers on X, is known for its flattering coverage of and friendly relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is battling to keep his place ahead of Haley in the Republican presidential race.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was given the name Nimarata Nikki Randhawa at birth. She has not hidden this fact. She married Michael Haley, and has reportedly gone by her middle name Nikki since childhood.
A community note added to the Florida Standard’s post pointed this out.
Haley has repeatedly invoked her Indian heritage during her campaign, albeit while downplaying the existence of deep-rooted racism in the U.S. She has faced numerous racist attacks and questions about her name throughout her political career.
