How Nikki Haley voters view the Harris-Trump matchup: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, national political reporter Ben Kamisar breaks down our latest NBC News Deciders Focus Group series with Nikki Haley's primary voters. Plus, senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen .

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Haley voters confront a new choice with the same skepticism

By Ben Kamisar

Over little more than a week, former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, President Joe Biden decided not to seek another term and Vice President Kamala Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee.

And yet, a new focus group of a key set of potential swing voters — supporters of Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP primaries — illustrates just how hardened views of the election are.

Those who applauded Trump for adopting a conciliatory tone in the immediate aftermath of the July 13 shooting now feel that he has reverted to being the candidate they previously opposed. Those who said they would vote for the Democratic presidential nominee in the fall were already on board with the party before Biden’s announcement. And those who were on the fence regarding the general election still feel like they are stuck there.

The conversations — as part of the NBC News Deciders Focus Group series, produced in collaboration with Engagious, Syracuse University and Sago — show that this group of voters, who cast ballots against Trump’s Republican coronation earlier this year, are by and large unhappy with their choices in the fall.

Three participants plan to