Republican congressman won't publicly admit he supports Nikki Haley: report

A Republican lawmaker is abandoning Donald Trump, but he's keeping it quiet.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) told supporters behind closed doors that he was standing firmly with Nikki Haley for president, but he's still not ready to do it in the open, Politico's Daniel Lippman uncovered in an audio recording of a constituent meeting.

“I personally would like to see Nikki Haley as our nominee,” Lawler said during an event in Bedford. “I think she did a great job at the United Nations. I think she’s somebody who’s very clear-eyed, articulate. I also think, frankly, and I say this with great respect to my seniors, I think it’s time for a little bit younger generation to lead and I would love to see a woman for president.”

But he claimed he wasn't willing to admit that publicly, saying it wouldn't sway a single voter in the GOP's primary election.

In fact, Haley's numbers are on the rise, according to polls which show DeSantis, who was in second place, has fallen to third.

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Only one Republican member of Congress has been willing to speak out for Haley thus far: Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). He's from her home state.

“Congressman Lawler has not made, and does not intend to make, an endorsement in the Republican presidential primary,” Lawler campaign manager Ciro Riccardi told Politico.

“As he has said previously, he thinks the party’s next candidate should be focused on the future, not the past, and will leave it to the voters to decide the party’s nominee.”

Lawler has been dodging a possible GOP primary challenge from his right, but no contenders have announced yet. William Maloney, former White House liaison at the U.S. Agency for International Development, has reportedly been weighing the challenge for several months.