RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR.: Haley could make the GOP human again

In politics, a great story captures the imagination. And that’s as good as gold.

That’s something for Republicans to keep in mind as the 2024 GOP presidential field takes shape. Already, there are 10 candidates officially vying for their party’s nomination.

More could be on the way. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin might make a late entry as a pro-business candidate who can whip inflation while not being distracted by the culture wars. We might also hear from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is trying to build a brand around keeping out immigrants while leading a state that owes much of its prosperity to a labor force made up largely of immigrants.

I’m looking for a few good stories. I’ve already found one. This candidate is likely to be largely ignored by the media despite having a lot to offer. Many political observers don’t think this candidate will go the distance, in part because it could be tough to wrangle enough contributions to be competitive.

The assumption is that Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will tear each other to pieces — and that it’ll make for amazing theater. Thus, for the next several months, most of the media attention will almost certainly be focused on the Donald and the Ronald.

That’s unfortunate. Because perhaps the most interesting candidate in this race — in either party — is Nikki Haley. The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has a lot of important and valuable things to tell her party and the rest of the country. And all Americans would be wise to listen.

Haley, an Indian American, got my attention right off the bat when, in announcing her candidacy, she talked about growing up in a Black-and-white world and not fitting neatly into that color scheme. I can relate to that story.

But there is an even better tale that also has to do with race — and a tragedy that shook South Carolina.

In June 2015, a 21-year-old white supremacist named Dylann Roof interrupted a Bible study at a Black church in Charleston, S.C. Roof fatally shot nine African American parishioners while injuring one other. Haley led the effort to do something that many in her state — including fellow Republicans — considered unthinkable: removing the Confederate flag from in front of the South Carolina State House. In addition to a racist manifesto, Roof left behind photos of himself posing with a Confederate flag.

The governor had previously dismissed efforts to remove the flag and ignored demands by activists. The massacre woke her up.

The effort to take down the flag — and also, at Haley’s insistence, the pole, so that another flag couldn’t take its place — made the governor enemies in the state. But, to her credit, Haley did not waver. And, in July 2015, she signed legislation to remove the flag.

At the time, Haley told NBC’s “Today” show: “No one should ever drive by the State House and feel pain. No one should ever drive by the State House and feel like they don’t belong.”

There is more to that comment.

In March, on the podcast “Honestly With Bari Weiss,” Haley shared with the independent journalist that — in her final attempt to win over those Republican legislators who resisted taking down the flag - she told them a story. She told them about how, as a child, she used to love going with her father, an Indian immigrant who wore a turban, to visit produce stands. Until, she said, one day, as her father was gathering fruit in a bag, she noticed that the owners “looked concerned” and picked up a phone.

A few minutes later, Haley recalled, two police cars pulled up. Her father paid for the fruit, thanked the owners and got in his car. He didn’t speak to his daughter the whole way home. “He hoped I didn’t notice what just happened,” she said. “I knew exactly what had happened.” Haley said that, for many years afterward, whenever she drove past that produce stand, she felt “pain.”

“I said I don’t want a single child to ever drive by the State House and see that flag and feel pain,” she told the legislators. “Bring this flag and this pole down.”

Darn it. There seems to be something in my eye. In the fight over the Confederate flag, Haley showed bravery, character and empathy. It’s understandable if you don’t recognize these qualities. In our politics, we haven’t seen much of them in many years.

Ruben Navarrette’s email address is crimscribe@icloud.com. His podcast, “Ruben in the Center,” is available through every podcast app.