How Nikki Haley Became a 2024 Frontrunner In a GOP Field Reshaped by the Capitol Riot On 02/16/21 at 6:00 AM EST Nikki Haley became a frontrunner for 2024 in a Republican field reshaped by the Capitol riot. Photo Illustration by Gluekit; Haley by: Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Nikki Haley was a Donald Trump loyalist, one of the rare high-profile cabinet members to leave the White House on good terms. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner even told Newsweek last summer that she'd be welcome to return, anytime she chose. But there she was on the Laura Ingraham show on Fox News in late January, offering a distinctly non-Trumpian view of the 2020 election.