Almost all the winners of South Carolina’s primary are presidential candidates.
“South Carolina has a very strong history of electing Republican candidates,” said Jessica Taylor, Cook Political Report Senate and Governor Editor. “The only time they didn’t do that was when they voted for Newt Gingrich in 2012.”
Small, sparsely populated states like Iowa and New Hampshire give lesser-known candidates a chance to compete against better-known candidates, but in South Carolina, less-promising candidates lose momentum. and instead often support establishment politicians.
“A lot of people who are involved in politics here know that South Carolina is something of a presidential election graveyard,” said Drew McKissick, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. “South Carolina tends to be very representative of the national Republican coalition.”
Trump leads Haley in South Carolina Republican presidential primary in four days
former president trump (Porter Gifford/Corbis via Getty Images)
In 2016, Donald Trump was considered an establishment outsider. He was able to break through South Carolina’s firewall and secure the Republican nomination.
“Whether someone is an establishment or not, I think you can see that President Trump is definitely not an establishment.” [pick] In 2016, and now more and more establishments are choosing it,” McKissick said.
FOX News first spoke with Competition Cars owner Bill Garofalo in 2016. He was planning to support Trump.
“With Trump, we have someone who says what we want to hear,” Garofalo said before the 2016 primary.
Eight years later, he still believes the former president is the best choice.
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Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makera/Getty Images)
“It’s a lot of the same common sense thinking,” Garofalo says. “All his policies are, he just needs to do what he’s been doing before, and I think we can get back on track in a very short period of time.”
His political preferences haven’t changed, but business has.
“When COVID hit, there were supply chain issues. New cars were hard to come by, so new car dealers were scooping up all the used cars,” Garofalo said.
He transitioned his business from selling late model used cars and now sells classic cars.
“Part of my change and adaptation was because of the 40% increase, which is a supply chain issue that Biden never fixed,” Garofalo said.
These Republicans support Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
Former President Trump speaks at a rally in Waterford, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
He thinks Trump would have handled the supply chain issue differently.
“Trump wouldn’t have put up with it. He would have had a solution,” Garofalo said. “We need common sense and reason to deal with a lot of the problems we’ve had with COVID-19 and what the Democratic Party is doing and the way they’re operating right now, and that’s just ridiculous.”
Criticism of President Biden and his party is not limited to Republicans.
“I don’t want to vote for Biden. I don’t think he’s capable of everything. I honestly think he’s getting old. And I’m really tired of the Democrats not finding a better candidate. ,” South said. said Carolina voter Elizabeth Ballard.
Ballard has voted Democratic for decades, most recently supporting Biden in 2020. This election cycle she changed her attitude.
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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley arrives at a campaign rally in Camden, South Carolina. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Elizabeth and her husband Steve have been married for three years. They have voted for different candidates in past elections. This time, the couple is hoping former Gov. Nikki Haley will be the candidate.
“I’m saving my vote for Nikki Haley,” Ballard said. “It’s been the last few years. My husband is a Republican and he’s actually more informed than I am, so I’ve been listening to him.”
“I like what I’ve heard from Nikki so far, and I’m here to learn more,” Ballard said at a recent Haley gathering.
She said she would not vote for either Biden or Trump if Haley was not the nominee.
“We’ll probably be looking for an independent candidate,” Ballard said. “They may not get in, but they cannot in good conscience vote either way.”
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Former President Trump gestures to a crowd in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump has great influence in the state. Several of his campaign’s key issues resonate with voters.
“The important issues that we hear on a national level, immigration at the top, and the economy, those are all things that definitely resonate here,” McKissick said.
With two candidates remaining in the Republican race, some voters are still undecided after the first candidate dropped out of the race early. They expect to hear more from Trump and Haley on their top issues.
“I think if you’re going to come into the country, you should come in legally,” said South Carolina voter Paul Hunter. “Countries and politicians need to come together and come up with a great, comprehensive immigration plan.”
Paul and his wife, Teresa, had planned to vote for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis before he suspended his campaign last month.
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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley addresses a crowd at a campaign rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina. (Grant Baldwin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Now we have to decide if Haley can give us some answers to what we want to hear,” Teresa said.
The couple attended an event with Haley in Newberry, South Carolina, hoping to hear more about Haley’s immigration and economic plans.
“We also have a daughter living at home with us, so we know that when our adult children come back home, that multifamily living situation impacts us personally. ” Teresa said. “You need to know there are people planning it.”
Both men have the same top issues, but are leaning toward different candidates.
“I want to say that I support Nikki Haley and pray that she doesn’t throw away her vote,” Teresa said.
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Paul leans toward Trump but hopes to change his rhetoric.
“He’s good. He’s got all the right ideas, but sometimes you have to fight on your feet,” Paul said.
