Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley has asked for Secret Service protection amid an uptick in threats as she continues her bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Haley confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that she had applied for the support after reporters questioned an increase in security at her campaign events. She is the last serious challenger to former President Donald Trump in the Republican primaries.
“We’ve had multiple issues,” Haley told the Journal after an event in her native South Carolina. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.”
She told reporters last week it was “just the reality” that candidates get threats when running for office, “and that’s OK.”
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks Monday at a campaign rally at the University of South Carolina Aiken. South Carolina holds its Republican primary on Feb. 24.
“Part of running for public life is that you’re going to deal with the threats that are there. That’s not going to deter me,” Haley said, according to CNN. “Does it mean we have to put a few more bodies around us? Yes, that’s fine.”