Prominent Democratic donors are urging Democratic voters and independents to vote for Nikki Haley in open Republican primary elections. However, Ms. Haley may have made that appeal much harder by stumbling through the causes of the Civil War during a town-hall meeting in Berlin, N.H. She failed to mention slavery, which drew a lot of criticism from Democrats and other Republican candidates. She later retracted her initial answer, acknowledging that the Civil War was about slavery.

Despite this, prominent Democratic donors and independents are still supporting Ms. Haley, as recent polls suggest she is surging into second place in New Hampshire. They believe her crossover appeal is increasingly relevant, especially since many consider Donald Trump to be an existential threat to America. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that Democrats hold their noses and vote for Ms. Haley in the G.O.P. primary as a vote to stop Donald Trump’s influence.

However, some say that some of Ms. Haley’s remarks, as well as many of her past actions as governor of South Carolina, seem to prioritize tradition and heritage over acknowledging issues of race and slavery. Even with her history of making amends for these positions in the past, some critics believe that her attempts this week have fallen short and question her sincerity.