Nikki Haley's 'radical' comments show Republicans are already in a 'race to the bottom': op-ed

After launching her 2024 campaign for president last week, Nikki Haley referenced the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law in Florida, saying it didn't go far enough.

“Basically, what it said was you shouldn’t be able to talk about gender before third grade,” Haley said at a town hall in Exeter, N.H. “I’m sorry, I don’t think that goes far enough.”

“When I was in school you didn’t have sex-ed until seventh grade. And even then, your parents had to sign whether you could take the class,” she added. “That’s a decision for parents to make."

According to MSNBC's Steve Benen, it's no mystery why Haley is employing this brand of rhetoric.

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"DeSantis is widely seen as a likely presidential candidate, and Haley is taking early steps to position herself as a stronger candidate," Benen writes. "The South Carolinian is basically telling GOP primary voters not to be too impressed by the Floridian’s notorious anti-LGBTQ measure — because she’d go in an even more reactionary direction."

Benen adds what Haley's new line of attack signifies "an inescapable race to the bottom: the process through which ambitious Republicans scramble to appear even more radical than their radical rivals."

"Haley offered a classic example of the phenomenon, but she has some company," Benen continued. "Donald Trump, for example, has recently begun going after DeSantis on vaccines. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, another possible 2024 contender, is among a small group of Republicans who’s seeking a review of an Advanced Placement African American studies course — on the heels of Florida picking a related fight."

Read the full op-ed over at MSNBC.