Nikki Haley voters confront a new choice with the same skepticism

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 in his stead. And amid the churn, a new focus group of a key set of potential swing voters — supporters of Nikki Haley in the 2024 primaries — shows just how hardened views of the 2024 election are.

Those who applauded Trump for adopting a conciliatory tone in the aftermath of the July 13 shooting now feel that he reverted to being the candidate they voted against in the Republican presidential nominating contest. Those who said they would vote for the Democratic presidential nominee in the fall were all already on board before Biden’s announcement.

And those who were on the fence regarding the 2024 presidential race 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 people, who cast votes protesting against Trump’s Republican coronation earlier this year, are by and large unhappy with their choices in the fall.

Three participants plan to vote for Democrats again, just like they did in 2020. One currently plans not to vote. The remaining 10 focus group participants evenly split their votes between Trump and third-party candidates, either reluctantly choosing Trump because of their broader support for GOP policies or choosing a protest vote to signal their frustration with the direction of the party.

“It may depend on where the tears fall on the ballot to determine who I cast my vote for,” said Audra B., a 53-year-old from Arizona, speaking about the