I'm a teen, and here's why I'm backing Nikki Haley

When a climate activist heckled Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday morning as she addressed a few hundred voters at the Gilbert H. Hood Middle School in Derry, N.H., she handled the moment both presidentially and like a mom — acknowledging it, turning it into a slightly sanctimonious teachable moment (God bless America’s military for fighting to defend our right to protest), and moving on. There’s nobody better at dealing with back talk than a mother, and that’s part of what I like about Haley and why I think she would be a good president. She handles drama without too much drama and gets back to business.

Over the weekend, I traveled from New York, where I am a senior in high school, to New Hampshire to see Haley ahead of Tuesday’s first-in-the-nation primary. I am on the cusp of becoming a voter and will be excited if I can cast my first presidential ballot for Haley. Polls say that’s a long shot. But for now, I’m with her.

I like Haley’s stance on small government; I love her support of Israel; I agree with her that there is too much ideology seeping into public school education. There’s plenty I disagree with her on, such as gun restrictions, immigration, and abortion; however, she says she wants to leave these issues to the states, and I’m good with that. As a gay person, I hope she supports laws to respect the humanity of adults trying to live and love in a way that feels right to them.

Haley also has vibrancy. Though I would vote for President Biden over Donald Trump, neither of them excite me.

My generation experiences our politics, like everything else, through the scroll of social media. The algorithm is what brought me to Haley. But I wanted to see her in person. I wanted to see if I trust her to take me on my maiden voyage toward political participation.

I asked my mother to take me to New Hampshire. She agreed to a one-day Haley odyssey. It wasn’t quite “Boys on the Bus.” More, “Boy in his Mom’s Car,” with an Olivia Rodrigo playlist.

Our first stop was the middle school in Derry. Several reporters asked to interview me. It was like they had never seen a teenager before.

Haley — in a word — slayed. In a phrase, she mothered. (If you don’t know what that means, ask your kids.)

She was wearing a cable-knit crewneck and bell-bottom jeans. She was energetic, stylish, animated, and funny. I didn’t get the sense she was selling a product, or even selling herself. She was genuine.

That night we drove to Exeter High School, where we took in a different sort of political event. There were hundreds of people packed into the auditorium, more teenagers than at the morning speech and a few rows of people sitting on the stage. Judge Judy was there.

Haley herself was late. I was annoyed. Hungry. I wished I was back at the hotel. The appeal of seeing her in person again was running thin.

But then, finally, she came on stage. She gave an extended, more polished version of her morning speech, still in her crewneck sweater and bell-bottom jeans. She was too busy for an outfit change. I liked her “I’m-a-Survivor”-by-Reba-McEntire vibe. At one point, someone in the crowd sneezed. “God bless you,” she said, interrupting herself. It was a quick aside. I never would have seen it on social media. It made me feel like she wasn’t just delivering lines but was really present. I’m glad I was too.

Much to my dismay, but not to my surprise, she was careful not to bash Trump. “Chaos follows him,” she said, “and we can’t have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won’t survive it. You have to understand you don’t fix Democrat chaos with Republican chaos. We have to move forward with a new generational conservative leader.” Someone from the back of the auditorium called out, “That’s you, Nikki!” Both Haley and her cheerleader were subsequently drowned out by roaring applause.

People in my social circles seem intrigued by Haley — even if it is only because she is extremely lucid, which is refreshing. Many kids I know are tired of the extreme leftist ideology that has people terrified to express any opinions but the most politically correct ones. I know many young people who have begun to gravitate toward conservatism as liberalism can be seen essentially as latter-day socialism.

Haley brings new inspiration to people like me. Of both Trump and Biden, Judge Judy said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Listen to America’s favorite judge. It’s time for someone new.

Ariel Schuyler Ehrlich is a high school senior living in New York City.