Nikki Haley faces backlash for Civil War gaffe

Critics slammed former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for not mentioning slavery as a cause in the Civil War during a town hall in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. Haley said that the cause of the war “always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are.” The voter asking the question said he was surprised that she didn’t name slavery, to which Haley responded, “What do you want me to say about slavery?” Haley clarified her comments during a Thursday morning radio interview with Jack Heath, saying she wanted to get at the bigger lesson from the war. “I’m from the South,” she said. “Of course, I know it’s about slavery.”

What criticism is she facing? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team re-posted the town hall clip to social media with the comment “Yikes.” DeSantis was in Iowa campaigning on Thursday and claimed that Haley “has had some problems with some basic American history.” The pair are competing to be the Republican party's alternative candidate to front-runner former President Donald Trump. The latest Quinnipiac University poll showed Haley and DeSantis tied for second, each grabbing an estimated 11 percent of GOP support.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno and Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew on the latest GOP primary debate.