Haley Jokes New Hampshire Primary Will ‘Correct’ Iowa Result

Campaigning in New Hampshire, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Wednesday that voters there would “correct” the outcome of the Iowa caucuses — the night before she was scheduled to appear for events in Iowa.

“You know Iowa starts it. You know you’re correcting it,” Ms. Haley said, prompting laughter from the crowd of voters in New Hampshire. “And then my sweet state of South Carolina brings it home.”

Local campaign surrogates for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is vying with Ms. Haley for second place in Iowa polls for the Republican presidential nomination, seized on the comment as dismissive of the state’s first round of voting, scheduled for Jan. 15.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is supporting Mr. DeSantis, said: “I trust Iowans to make their own decisions. No ‘corrections’ needed.” Bob Vander Plaats, the evangelical leader from Iowa who has also thrown his support behind Mr. DeSantis, called Ms. Haley’s joke an “admission that she was defeated in the Hawkeye State.”

Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley will participate in back-to-back town halls in Iowa on Thursday evening. The events, which will be broadcast live on CNN, will be one of the few remaining opportunities for the two candidates to wrest support from former President Donald J. Trump.

Ms. Haley’s teasing comment also reflects her slim chances of victory in Iowa, where Mr. Trump is the overwhelming favorite; he is polling around or slightly below 50 percent support. Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis scored below 20 percent in Iowa, in a virtual tie for second place.

By contrast, Ms. Haley has risen decisively from Trump’s group of rivals in New Hampshire. Recent polls there show her in second place, far above other candidates except Trump.

Ms. Haley’s joke also reflects the dangers of campaigning across state lines in rapid succession: Comments intended for local audiences in one state can become a burden in the next.