KFF HEALTH NEWS – Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley portrays herself as a voice of reason in the Republican Party. “Let’s find consensus,” she said about abortion during the first GOP primary debate. “Let’s treat this like a respectful issue.”
It’s talk like that — and strong polling in a hypothetical matchup against President Biden — that has helped position Haley to potentially overtake Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the GOP’s “plan B” presidential candidate.
But an examination of her record on vaccination shows how she’s also tuned her positions to the views of the Republican base.
Many of the GOP presidential candidates have struggled to fine-tune their message on vaccination, my colleague Daniel Chang and I have reported, as their voters grow increasingly skeptical of shots that most doctors will tell you are vital for public health.
Former president Donald Trump, for example, has tried to simultaneously claim credit for his “Operation Warp Speed” program to accelerate development of coronavirus vaccines and also bash DeSantis for promoting vaccination to Floridians.
“During the height of the pandemic, Haley praised the Trump administration’s efforts to expedite vaccine development — and even touted Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ donations for vaccine manufacturing plants.”
Forty percent of Republicans believe that parents should be able to opt out of required childhood vaccines — about double the rate in 2019, according to a September survey from KFF.
Support for vaccination among Democrats has remained stable, by comparison, with 84 percent saying they should be required for public school students.
It’s an especially tricky subject for Haley as she tries to hold herself out as the sensible GOP candidate.
Her basic message: Covid vaccines are good but shouldn’t be required, saying in a November 2021 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network:
“Mandates are not what America does.”
And she’s encouraged some anti-vaccine themes … READ MORE.
