Nikki Haley addresses backlash over Iowa comment

Nikki Haley said she was trying to have some fun and was joking when she commented that New Hampshire would have an opportunity to "correct" the results of Iowa.

Nikki Haley on Thursday night said she was trying to have some fun and was joking when she commented to a New Hampshire crowd the evening before that they would have an opportunity to "correct" the results of the Iowa caucuses.

Haley was speaking at CNN's Town Hall in Iowa Thursday night, answering questions from voters, when toward the end of the evening, host Erin Burnett gave the former U.N. ambassador the floor.

"Look, we have done 150+ town halls. You gotta have some fun, too," Haley told Thursday's Iowa crowd, addressing her comments. "So, we're at this town hall, we had 700 people in New Hampshire, we're cutting up and yes, I said that."

Haley explained that in her home state of South Carolina, where she previously served as governor, people knew Iowa was the first to caucus. Then, "New Hampshire’s going to be the first in the nation," she continued. "And South Carolina wanted to be first in the South" in the selection of presidential candidates.