MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is making a final appeal to voters in her home state days before Election Day
Former President Donald Trump continues to lead by double digits in Haley’s home state, where she has the support of nearly all of South Carolina’s leading Republicans. Despite the grim forecast, Haley reminded South Carolinians of her accomplishments as governor at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach on Thursday and urged them to vote again ahead of Saturday’s primary.
“Looking at this crowd reminds me of what we did together,” Haley told attendees. “When I took office as governor, times were tough. Unemployment was 11 percent. There were thousands of people on welfare, and South Carolina was a joke. And , what did we do? We rallied, united and got to work.” (Related: ‘Not going anywhere’: Despite dire polls, Nikki Haley rejects calls to leave)
Haley touted a variety of accomplishments during her time as South Carolina’s chief executive, including creating manufacturing jobs in South Carolina, lowering the unemployment rate, cutting taxes, implementing voter ID, and passing legislation to crack down on illegal immigration.The former governor was skillful. elected She served twice in red states but resigned in 2017 when President Trump appointed her ambassador to the United Nations.
The former governor also ramped up attacks on Trump during speeches over national security policy, increasing the national debt by trillions of dollars, border security negotiations in Congress, Trump’s ability to win the general election, and Trump’s ability to win the general election. Obstructed legal challenges. Haley on Saturday called on voters to support her over the former president because she sees the situation surrounding Trump as a “chaos.”
“In America, we don’t anoint a king, we have elections. South Carolinians have the same right to vote as in any other state,” Haley said.
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Haley placed third in the Iowa caucuses on January 15, and second to Trump in the New Hampshire primary the following week. The former governor did not contest for delegates in the Nevada caucuses, instead losing on the “none of these candidates” option on Feb. 6.
The Real Clear Politics average Based on polls conducted from Feb. 13 to Feb. 18, Trump has a 25-point lead over the former governor in South Carolina’s 2024 primary. Haley has come under pressure to drop out of the race as Trump gains an edge in the primaries, but on Tuesday she vowed to remain in the race even if she loses in her home state.
“I want everyone you know to go vote on Saturday,” Haley told supporters. “Bring a yard sign. If you can’t put a yard sign in your yard, put one on the back of your car. And I need to make sure you make your voice heard.” Tell your friends, email your family, check them all out. It’s time for South Carolina to really stand up and show the direction we want this country to go. I believe in you. I will always trust you, and I will always know that South Carolina truly is the best state in the nation.”
South Carolina isn’t like that. register Sorts voters by party affiliation and allows registered voters to participate in the primaries of their choice. The state’s Democratic primary election was held on February 3, and President Joe Biden won by a landslide.
Shari Donovan, a recently retired insurance worker who lives in Surfside Beach, approves of Haley’s job as governor and likes that the Republican is “not part of the ‘good ol’ boys’ network.” he told DCNF. Supporters of Ms. Haley said she is a Republican but strongly opposes Mr. Trump.
“We’re anti-Trump fans. We’re absolutely 150,000 percent against it. We’re not going to have a sexual assault or convicted fraudster as a candidate to vote for, that’s for sure,” Donovan said of her husband. Mike also spoke. , emotions. “Before I vote for Donald Trump, I would vote for Mickey Mouse.”
Donovan told DCNF that he would have voted for Biden two weeks ago if Haley hadn’t run in the Republican primary. Haley supporters have vowed to support Biden if Trump is the Republican nominee.
Former Myrtle Beach resident Glenn Graber told DCNF that he voted for Haley early but did not expect Haley to win on Saturday.
“I voted for [Trump] I will never vote for him again. Not after the violence I’ve seen there, not after the way he talks about veterans and women, but frankly this man is sick,” Graeber said. “It’s a shame there aren’t better options in this country.”
She told DCNF that she hopes the Supreme Court will bar the former president from voting and give Haley a chance. Garber hopes someone can address the division of the United States, the war in Ukraine, and the border crisis.
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Mark Chandler of Myrtle Beach, a Coastal Carolina University professor and former Defense Department official, believes Haley has a “strong legacy” from her time as governor and ambassador to the United Nations. The Republican voted early for Haley, but he said he would likely support Trump if he were the nominee.
“I think it’s Nikki.” [is] Well balanced, probably [has] This is our best chance against Biden,” Chandler told DCNF. “She’s coming up with some substantive comments on this issue. She’s not just hitting bullet points and soundbites. She’s talking about what voters need to hear and rising above the election noise.” I think I’m really telling you what you want to hear if you can. [others]”
Amy Dougherty, a 49-year-old nurse who lives in Myrtle Beach, told DCNF she hasn’t decided who she will support Saturday, but she came to hear Haley’s story.
“I’m tired of the same old thing,” Dougherty told DCNF. “Rather than doing nothing, they’re just blaming and fighting, and they’re not accomplishing anything.”
The nurse said she voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, but would support the former president as the “lesser of two evils” if he became the nominee.
Jeremy Bloom, a 46-year-old construction worker, is also undecided about running, but he told DCNF that his biggest challenges are border security and the mess in government spending and regulation. The Myrtle Beach resident supported Trump in each of the previous elections, but “believes it’s time for a change in Washington.”
“I think [Haley’s] It has some nice properties, but it’s kind of an old message at the moment. It’s like we’re in a loop,” Bloom said. “It’s about how do we stop chasing Donald Trump and start talking about what she can do and what she’s going to do? And she’s seeking that change in her campaign. Something like that.”
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