Nikki Haley, once Trump's UN ambassador, to take him on in 2024 - Reuters

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley volition footwear disconnected her run for the 2024 Republican statesmanlike information this month, squaring disconnected against her one-time boss, erstwhile President Donald Trump, 2 sources acquainted with her plans said connected Wednesday.

The determination would marque her conscionable the 2nd declared Republican campaigner and could acceptable the signifier for a much combative signifier of the campaign, perchance putting her successful the sights of the combative erstwhile U.S. president.

Haley's run sent an email to supporters connected Wednesday inviting them to a Feb. 15 lawsuit successful Charleston. There she volition state her candidacy, the sources said.

South Carolina is expected to big 1 of the archetypal Republican nominating primaries successful 2024 and volition play an important relation successful picking the eventual candidate.

The girl of 2 Indian immigrants who ran a palmy covering store successful a agrarian portion of the state, Haley has gained a estimation successful the Republican Party arsenic a coagulated blimpish who has the quality to code issues of sex and contention successful a much credible manner than galore of her peers.

She has besides pitched herself arsenic a stalwart defender of American interests abroad, having served arsenic U.S. ambassador to the United Nations nether Trump from 2017 to 2018. During that time, the United States pulled retired of the Iran atomic deal, which was inked nether Democratic President Barack Obama and was highly unpopular among Republicans.

One Haley subordinate said she chose to motorboat her run this aboriginal to effort to drawback voters' attraction and shingle up a contention that had truthful acold been dominated by Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not yet declared whether helium volition run.

Many cardinal Republican donors and elected officials successful South Carolina person been looking for alternatives to Trump amid concerns astir his electability, according to conservations successful caller weeks with much than a twelve enactment officials and strategists.

Several salient Republicans, including Haley and U.S. Senator Tim Scott opted to skip a Trump run quality successful Columbia connected Saturday, which was intended to showcase his enactment successful the state.

Trump told reporters connected Saturday that Haley had called him to accidental she was considering a tally and that helium told her "go by your perceive if you privation to run," according to aggregate media reports.

Haley received nationalist attraction successful 2015 when, arsenic governor, she signed a measure into instrumentality removing the Confederate conflict emblem from the grounds of the South Carolina authorities capitol, pursuing the execution of 9 achromatic churchgoers by achromatic supremacist Dylann Roof.

If she were to triumph the nomination, Haley would beryllium the archetypal pistillate astatine the apical of the Republican statesmanlike summons successful history, arsenic good arsenic the party's archetypal non-white nominee.

Among her large challenges volition beryllium nailing down a accordant message. Even successful a tract wherever astir candidates person changed their caput astir cardinal issues aggregate times, Haley is peculiarly chameleonic.

She has distanced herself from Trump respective times, lone to aboriginal soften her rhetoric, saying helium has an important relation to play successful the Republican Party.

While she has criticized Republicans for baselessly casting uncertainty connected the results of the 2020 statesmanlike election, she campaigned connected behalf of aggregate candidates who supported Trump's mendacious predetermination fraud claims during the 2022 midterms.

Even arsenic she has astatine times adopted a conciliatory connection connected radical issues, she often opts for a little measured tone. In November, she said astatine a run rally that Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, a Black antheral calved successful Savannah, should beryllium "deported."

Playing into Haley's hands whitethorn beryllium geography: South Carolina is historically the 3rd authorities to big the Republican nominating contest, and it often plays an outsized relation successful the race. Haley, who governed the authorities from 2011 to 2017, is fashionable there, polls show.

Trump and DeSantis person some been progressive successful the state.

While Haley comes into the contention arsenic an underdog - astir nationalist polls amusement her enactment successful the azygous digits - she is utilized to moving from behind, having gained a estimation successful governmental circles for coming retired connected apical successful tough-to-win races.

A run spokesperson declined to remark connected Wednesday.

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery; Editing by Ross Colvin, Daniel Wallis and Andrew Heavens

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.