Nikki Haley signs on for Kansas special election in presidential race

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is stepping into the ring for Kansas’ upcoming Presidential Preference Primary (PPP).

Haley is the fourth candidate to sign on to the PPP happening in March. She joins Democrat President Joe Biden, former Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips. Haley registered for the PPP on Jan. 18 as a Republican candidate, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s (SOS) website.

Who is Nikki Haley?

Haley is the former governor of South Carolina and U.N. Ambassador, according to The Hill. She launched her campaign for the presidency on Feb. 14, 2023, as the first Republican to challenge Trump for the nomination. Currently, she is one of only three Republican candidates who remain in the race for the presidency.

In the recent Republican Iowa Caucuses, Haley came in third place behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump ended up with a more than 50% majority while DeSantis and Haley received 21% and 19% respectively.

Haley recently vowed to only take part in future presidential debates if Trump participates, resulting in a scheduled CNN debate to be cancelled. The results of one poll show Trump and Haley are tied among Republican voters in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s nomination process.

What is the Presidential Preference Primary?

The PPP has only been used twice before in Kansas history in 1980 and 1992. It is described as a nontraditional election by the SOS. This is because the timelines and statutes for this election are different when compared to other primary elections or the general election. For example, there will be no three-day grace period for any mail-in ballots after election day. Other upcoming deadlines before the election include:

Jan. 2 – Deadline for political parties to send the party rules for delegate allocation to the SOS.

Jan. 16 – Deadline for political parties to let the SOS know who is eligible to vote in each party’s PPP.

Jan. 19 – Candidates have until noon on Jan. 19 to file to run in the PPP.

Feb. 20 – Deadline to register to vote or update voter registration information to participate in the PPP. This is also the last day to apply for an advance voting mail ballot.

Feb. 28 – First day of advance voting. Advance ballots by mail are transmitted. In-person advance voting can also start.

March 18 – Last day for in-person advance voting.

March 19 – PPP begins.

A PPP requires an act by the Kansas Legislature to be conducted. The enactment takes responsibility away for conducting a caucus from the Republican and Democrat parties in Kansas, instead giving it to the state. It is called a preference primary as it is an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. Voters will not select the party candidate in this election.

You can learn more about the PPP by clicking here.

For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf