Haley Chastises Senate Candidate Over Abortion Comment: ‘Are You Trying To Lose?’

Nikki Haley, former U.N. Ambassador and 2024 GOP presidential hopeful, sharply criticized Ohio Senate Republican candidate Bernie Moreno on Tuesday for remarks he made about women and abortion late last week.

Moreno, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, suggested during a town hall on Friday that suburban women are overly focused on abortion and questioned why older women are concerned with the issue at all.

“You know, the left has a lot of single-issue voters,” Moreno remarked in a clip aired by Ohio’s NBC4 News.

“Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ … OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women that are like past 50 — I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you,’” said Moreno, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump.

In response, Haley took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to express her disapproval, writing: “Are you trying to lose?” alongside Moreno’s full quote.

Haley also referenced a controversial comment made by former CNN host Don Lemon earlier this year. Lemon had remarked that Haley was “not in her prime,” suggesting that women are in their prime in their 20s, 30s, and “maybe 40s.” His comment caused outrage, particularly among his female co-hosts, and led to his eventual departure from the network.

Last week, Haley announced the launch of a new radio talk show on SiriusXM, which debuted this week. The show, airing once a week, will run at least until the inauguration of the next president in January 2025.

According to the Associated Press, the show will feature interviews, listener calls, and discussions on politics. Airing on SiriusXM’s Triumph channel, it will run on Wednesdays from 8 to 9 a.m. ET. Beyond politics, listeners can also expect Haley to talk about Clemson football, her love for running, and even Taylor Swift.

Haley emphasized that while she won’t hide her political opinions, she hopes to break free from the divisive “tribalism” in today’s media.

“My kids, they don’t watch the news, because they think both sides are crazy,” Haley shared with The Associated Press. “And they’re not wrong about that. I think we have to take the craziness out. I think we have to take the noise out, and I think we have to break things down in a way that people feel empowered.”

Haley continued, “I think that’s what Americans are tired of. They don’t want to go on and watch a news show and know exactly which candidate they’re pushing and exactly what politics are pushing. They want to know the issues. They want to know exactly how it’s going to affect their family. I want to take all of the politics out and really break it down on a policy level.”

In a post on X, Haley reiterated her message: “We spoke hard truths on the campaign trail. It’s time to speak hard truths about the future of America. No spin. Just facts and straight talk in a way that everyone can understand. We have a country to save. Let’s do this.”