Pro-DeSantis Website Slammed for Scrutinizing Nikki Haley's Indian Roots: 'Did You Know That Nikki Haley's Parents Are Immigrants?'
A website supporting Ron DeSantis came under fire this week after the outlet launched a poll to undermine Nikki Haley’s status as a child of Indian immigrants.
Nov. 22 2023, Published 9:10 a.m. ET
A website supporting Ron DeSantis came under fire this week after the outlet launched a poll to undermine Nikki Haley’s status as a child of Indian immigrants, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come after the former South Carolina governor overtook DeSantis in several polls for the 2024 GOP primary race, a conservative website called the Florida Standard published their own poll to X regarding Haley’s Indian roots.
The Florida Standard also appeared to criticize the Florida governor’s GOP challenger for going by Nikki Haley instead of her birth name – Nimarata Nikki Randhawa.
“Did you know that Nikki Haley’s parents are immigrants from India and her birth name is Nimarata Randhawa?” the Florida-based outlet asked X users on Tuesday.
But the pro-DeSantis website’s controversial poll backfired, because more than 82% of X users who took the poll said that “yes, of course” they knew that Haley’s parents are Indian immigrants and that her real name is Nimarata Randhawa.
Only 18% of respondents said “no, they did not” know that about the former South Carolina governor's parents and name.
“Did you know that Nikki Haley’s parents are immigrants from India and her birth name is Nimarata Randhawa?”
X readers also added context to the Florida Standard’s post and defended Haley amid the pro-DeSantis website’s apparent attack.
“Nikki Haley has gone by her middle name—which is a Punjabi—since she was a child,” X users noted. “She took her husband’s last name after marrying him.”
“She has made no attempt to hide her Indian heritage,” the platform added.
Still, the Florida Standard doubled down after releasing the poll and chose to make the poll its main story on Tuesday night.
82% of X users who took the poll said that “yes, of course” they knew that Haley’s parents are Indian immigrants and that her real name is Nimarata Randhawa.
The outlet titled its story “Republicans Shocked After Discovering Nikki Haley’s Real Name” even though more than 80% of respondents were not shocked about Haley’s real name.
“But Republicans were shocked to discover that, amid her call for transparency, Haley’s campaign has quietly kept her birth name – Nimarata Randhawa – from the American people during three debates and her recent rise in early-state polls,” the pro-DeSantis website wrote.
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The outlet also compared Haley to fellow GOP challenger Vivek Ramaswamy – who “has not been shy about his identity” – before criticizing the former South Carolina governor for not “celebrating” her Indian heritage.
“Haley has neglected to publicly celebrate her roots and the story of her parents’ immigration to the U.S. from Amritsar, Punjab, India,” the Florida Standard wrote. “Voters have a right to know who they are electing.”
Haley is slowly overtaking DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary race.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Haley recently overtook DeSantis by a small lead in several polls connected to the 2024 GOP primary race for the White House.
According to a Monmouth University poll conducted after the third GOP primary debate, Haley placed second with 18% compared to frontrunner Donald Trump’s 46%. DeSantis placed fifth.
“Poll after poll show Nikki Haley is the best challenger to Donald Trump and Joe Biden," said Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokesperson for Haley’s 2024 campaign. "She’s second in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and is the only candidate with the momentum to go the distance."
"Anyone still talking about DeSantis as the stalking horse is not keeping up with the race," added Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
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