Nikki Haley is not the darling of South Carolina politics.
Despite her considerable career in public service in the Palmetto State, including six years as a state representative and then six years as governor, the 52-year-old is bracing for a landslide loss to Donald Trump in next month's primary. .
A limited poll in South Carolina shows Haley leading Trump (77) by about 30 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
Additionally, the former president has the support of more than 150 current and former state elected officials, including the governor, lieutenant governor, and both Republican senators.
Haley insists she doesn't need the support of “political elites” and blames her unpopularity with South Carolina lawmakers on her responsibilities as governor.
Haley's loss in her home state likely ends her chances of becoming the Republican nominee, but questions remain about where exactly something went wrong so badly.
“Moderate at best”
Politics is all about relationships, and South Carolina is no exception.
The problem Haley faces is that the relationships she has built in Columbia, the state capital, are largely irreparable, South Carolina Republican operatives told the Post.
One of Haley's most talked about campaign accomplishments was one of her first pieces of legislation as governor in 2011. Most bills required a roll call vote. Rather than an unrecorded voice vote.
At the time, the push for transparency was consistent with Haley's Tea Party-inspired outsider persona, demanding legislative accountability.
“I pushed back against them when I was governor. I forced them to see their voting records. [so] They weren't overshadowed by voice voting,'' Haley gushed at a campaign stop in Epping, New Hampshire, last weekend. “I forced them to pass ethics reforms that they didn’t want.”
Two state officials who support Ms. Haley say that in retrospect, Ms. Haley's defense of record voting laws contributed to her current unpopularity.
State Rep. Nathan Valentine, who served with Haley in the state Legislature, said Haley's “biggest enemies” were trying to get her to vote in Haley's absence when the record-voting bill was up for a vote in the 2010 gubernatorial race. He recalled requesting that the count be scheduled. From the capital to the election campaign.
“That's where the hostility started,” he claims.
State Sen. Josh Kimbrel, who was the first South Carolina official to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and has now switched to supporting Trump, disagrees, and Haley is among the South Carolina Republican establishment. They argued that her lack of support was solely due to her policy record. .
“Haley ran [in 2010] He is a strong conservative on a wide range of issues, from school choice to tax cuts to all forms of government reform. But none of that happened,” Kimbrel claimed, adding that she said:
They “act on one thing” but then govern as “moderates at best.”
“There's a lot of bad blood out there,” he added. “Overwhelmingly, the majority of elected officials here will not support her.”
State Sen. Tom Davis, another Haley supporter, said the former governor has a chance to come full circle and reclaim her status as the ultimate outsider.
He said “South Carolinians have an inherent suspicion of insiders” and that the deal was “done in back rooms.”
Another, uglier factor is the turbulent nature of South Carolina politics. There, “everything but the kitchen sink” can and will be thrown at Haley, including her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants.
There is precedent for such behavior. Prior to the 2000 Republican primary, voters received push poll calls suggesting that then-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is an “illegitimate black father,” suggesting that McCain's adopted daughter from Bangladesh is actually the product of an extramarital affair.
“South Carolina politics has a history of very sharp attitudes. There's a lot going on that's on the edge of what's acceptable,” Davis said.
“South Carolina is known for that kind of politics, and it wouldn't be surprising to me if the kitchen sink was thrown at her for the next 30 days.”
long time no see
Seven years is a long time for a politician, and the former governor, who resigned in January 2017 to become President Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, will have to remind voters of his career as governor next month.
“The average voter's short-term memory doesn't remember everything Nikki Haley did when she was governor,” South Carolina-based Republican strategist Dave Wilson told the Post. told.
“That's going to be her challenge,” Davis agreed. “She's here and she's going to do it within 30 days.”
Haley's campaign jumped at the challenge, releasing an ad this week reminding South Carolina voters of her story.
“Nikki Haley confronted political elites when she ran for governor of South Carolina, and she is ready to do it again,” said Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokeswoman for Haley. “South Carolina voters elected Nicky twice because of his conservative record of creating jobs, cutting taxes, and fighting illegal immigration. I know what I’m going to fight for.”
Trump's home base
Mr. Trump has taken every opportunity to tout his support from the South Carolina congressmen, inviting them to the stage at a rally in New Hampshire and highlighting their presence in Ms. Haley's face.
Former presidents include South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evett, South Carolina State Representative Alan Wilson, State House Speaker Murrell Smith, State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, State Representative Joe Wilson, and William. Rep. Timmons and Rep. Russell Fry were in attendance.
At Trump's victory party in Nashua, former presidential candidate Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), whom Haley nominated for the Senate in 2012, stood directly behind Trump on stage.
“Have you ever thought about [about how] “She really appointed you, Tim? … And you're her state senator,” Trump said. “You must really hate her.”
Scott responded by walking up to the microphone and looking Trump in the eye.
“I just love you,” the senator exclaimed.
“Part of politics, especially politics in the South, is based on relationships,” Wilson said. “Now those relationships, or lack thereof, are paying off for themselves.”
But Valentine, a Haley supporter, downplayed the effectiveness of Trump's dozens of endorsements.
“Should I eat more? It probably depends on who they're from,” he said. “There are a lot of ass-kissing people who support President Trump because they fear him and don't want a primary opponent. Behind closed doors, some of his supporters are voting for him. Some people don't even do it.”
