Haley Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: LeClaire State Senator Endorses Nikki Haley Ahead of Iowa Caucuses

By: Sarah Watson
Online here.

State Sen. Chris Cournoyer, a Republican from LeClaire, sees parallels between herself and Nikki Haley.

Both women graduated with degrees unrelated to politics, Cournoyer's in computer science and Haley's in accounting. Neither set out with ambitions for public office. Both helped with family businesses, ran for office with young children at home and served in state legislatures.

Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, is running for the Republican presidential nomination, and Cournoyer has emerged as an early supporter of Haley ahead of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Cournoyer introduced Haley during a May event at the Dahl Old Car Home in Davenport and has appeared with her at eastern Iowa events since as early as October 2020, when they supported Mariannette Miller-Meeks for Congress.

Cournoyer said she had been following Haley since her time in the South Carolina Legislature and was "very impressed" with how Haley handled crises as governor and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She bought Haley's book, met her at a speaking engagement several years ago in Des Moines and decided to back her earlier this spring.

"I've made a point to go and listen to what she has to say and her message, and her life story of working in a family business, getting a degree in accounting and never really having a political ambition, to really seeing that there's an issue and stepping into a position where she can actually do something about it," Cournoyer said. "I think it just really resonated with me."

Cournoyer first ran for school board in 2013, prompted she said, by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, where a gunman killed 20 children and six staff members at a Connecticut elementary school.

"My twin boys were in first grade at the time," Cournoyer said. "It freaked me out. It really affected me, I guess I should say, and I didn't even know who my school board member was."

"I was president of the PTA, but I didn't know who my school board member was," Cournoyer added. "And I called him to see what we were doing to protect our kids at school because at the time at Cody Elementary School, the front door was unlocked, and you walked right in."

But he didn't return her phone calls, she said. Unsatisfied, she ran for the school board and won.

Cournoyer said she was particularly impressed with Haley's efforts to end a widespread practice of doing voice votes in the South Carolina Legislature and instead record how each lawmaker voted on a piece of legislation, going against her own party at the time.

Cournoyer was impressed with how Haley handled the South Carolina economy as governor, prioritizing attracting businesses and more jobs, and how she navigated the aftermath of the mass shooting at a South Carolina church, when she demanded the legislature take down the Confederate battle flag from the top of the state capitol building.

"I think she really did that with strong leadership and compassion and empathy and, really dealing with very challenging situations with measured grace," Cournoyer said. "And that can be very difficult to lead through some of those especially emotional issues."

Cournoyer is one of a couple area state Republican lawmakers who've announced their support for a particular 2024 candidate. Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, first pledged his support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, then switched to back businessman and author Vivek Ramaswamy.

Republican hopefuls courted lawmakers during the state legislative session, holding meetings in the capitol and in lawmakers' districts.

Several statewide officials have pledged neutrality ahead of the 2024 caucuses, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, and U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley.

Standing out

Haley was among the earliest candidates to announce their run for president after former President Donald Trump announced his. Since then, close to a dozen more Republicans have announced their presidential runs.

Although Haley has consistently polled behind Trump and DeSantis in national average polling, Cournoyer said Haley's campaign strategy is putting her face-to-face with Iowa Republicans.

"She's on the ground, she's doing townhalls, she's meeting with Iowans," Cournoyer said. "I've seen her at several town halls where she's literally standing in the middle of the room and she's got people on all four sides of her, and they're just passing the microphone around and she's taking every single question, she is answering it very honestly, very thoroughly."

"Spending time answering questions, I'm just not seeing that from other candidates," Cournoyer added.

Trump, Haley's former boss, leads polling in Iowa, according to a Real Clear Politics compilation of recent polling data, with DeSantis the only other candidate consistently in double digits. Haley, fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott, Mike Pence and Ramaswamy trail.

"I think (Trump) had a lot of really good things as president. But, I think right now, the country is looking for a new style of leadership," Cournoyer said. "They're looking for someone who can be measured. Someone who can be compassionate and empathetic, but also be tough and assertive when they need to be."