Columbia, South Carolina – Democratic officials have a clear message to voters. Don’t skip Saturday’s presidential primary in South Carolina and instead vote for Nikki Haley in the Palmetto State’s Republican nomination contest three weeks later.
“Nicki, I want you to understand that the South Carolina Democratic Party is not going to vote for you,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison told reporters as voting began in his home state. I want the message to be clearly conveyed.”
As voting began in South Carolina on Saturday morning, there were reports that some Democrats had received text messages urging them not to vote on Saturday and to vote in three weeks. Both Haley’s campaign and the SFA Fund, which is affiliated with the super PAC, denied any involvement in the text messages.
Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in former President Donald Trump’s administration, was among independent voters and some in the Iowa Republican caucuses and New Hampshire Republican primary last month. He also received a lot of support from crossover Democrats. The first two contests on the Republican presidential nomination calendar.
Haley is the last remaining major rival to front-runner Trump, who won 43% of the vote in New Hampshire a week and a half ago.
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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and future United Nations ambassador, speaks with voters after a campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 1, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The next major battle on the Republican calendar is the South Carolina Republican primary on February 24th. The latest polls in the state show Trump holding a 26-point lead over Haley.
The Republican primary is open to all voters regardless of party affiliation, but those who voted in Saturday’s Democratic primary cannot vote again in the Republican race within three weeks.
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For weeks, Democratic officials have spotlighted the South Carolina voter’s conservative policies during her tenure as governor, calling her the “mother of the MAGA movement.”
Mr. Harrison said his message to Ms. Haley was, “We’re not going to vote for you because you haven’t done anything for us. “So we’re not going to bail you out. We’re not going to bail you out.” “There are two MAGA apples left in this field, and they’re both rotting. So the Democrats in South Carolina aren’t trying to save either of them.”
Haley and her campaign have argued for months that she would be a stronger Republican candidate than Trump if she faced President Biden in the November general election.
Asked to respond to Harrison’s comments, Haley’s campaign told Fox News, “Nothing would make the Democratic Party happier than Donald Trump becoming the Republican nominee. Polls show that Nikki has an overwhelming lead over Biden. “They know they can’t beat her.”
President Biden speaks at the first national gala held by the South Carolina Democratic Party at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday, January 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.) (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
Biden won a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary four years ago, propelling him toward the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and ultimately the White House.
And this time again, against two strong primary challengers: Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Marianne Williamson, the best-selling author and spiritual advisor who is running for the White House for the second year in a row. It is expected that they will achieve another big victory.
Haley says her goal is to ‘close the gap’ with Trump in South Carolina Republican primary
Mr. Phillips and Mr. Williamson campaigned heavily last month in New Hampshire’s uncontested Democratic presidential primary, which Mr. Biden handily won as a write-in candidate.
But Mr. Phillips hasn’t set foot in South Carolina in the past week, and Mr. Williamson also missed a recent in-person campaign event in the Palmetto State.
“We would have expected more from the candidates who applied to register on the ballot. We encourage them to come to the state. They were welcomed. Our county party has been waiting,” South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Cristalle Spain told Fox Digital.
She emphasized, “It was disappointing to see the candidates apply, but they didn’t really come here to compete like they did in New Hampshire.”
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Biden made multiple campaign stops in South Carolina over the weekend, with Vice President Kamala Harris headlining a rally on Friday, the night before the primary.
Although he was not on the ballot in New Hampshire, the president won 64% of the vote in the Democratic primary thanks to a well-organized and well-funded write-in campaign.
Asked how far Biden would have to go in the South Carolina primary for it to be considered a success, Harrison demurred.
But he told Fox News Digital that Biden is already the winner, especially with Black voters who play a big role in Democratic politics in South Carolina.
“The president wanted to send a signal to Black people, not just here in South Carolina, but across the country, that we see you, we hear you, and you matter.” Harrison emphasized. “That’s why it’s important for the president and vice president, first lady and second gentleman to show up with an attitude, even if they know they’re going to win. And that they’re going to win.” is telling people that you matter. ”
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
