South Carolina presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley and Tim Scott are wielding their political knives against their Republican rivals ahead of Wednesday’s third GOP debate.
Both candidates’ campaigns circulated scathing internal memos slamming their foes, including front-runner Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and laid out a game plan nearly two months out from the party’s first primary contest.
“Nikki is the ONLY viable alternative to Trump,” Haley’s campaign wrote in a memo. “Despite the weird and ridiculous claims from the DeSantis team, we’d be thrilled if he packed it up before Iowa. Given his campaign cash burn rate, we might just get our wish.”
DeSantis’ campaign operations in Iowa have recently been boosted by news of an impending endorsement by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-La.) in a Des Moines rally on Monday.
An endorsement from a sitting Iowa governor is rare and highly coveted. DeSantis is behind Trump and in second place in Iowa at 18%, followed by Haley at 12.5%, according to the RealClearPolitics aggregate.
Nikki Haley is trying to position herself as the main alternative to Donald Trump.REUTERS
But Haley’s campaign played down the governor’s standing in the Hawkeye State, arguing that he didn’t fare as well in subsequent contests like New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Haley came in second on average behind Trump in New Hampshire and South Carolina, while DeSantis finished third in both states, according to the RealClearPolitics aggregate.
Meanwhile, Bryan Griffin, press secretary for the DeSantis campaign, said it was a “two-man race” between the Florida governor and Trump.
“The Trump team knows it — that’s why they spent over $1 million this week alone attacking DeSantis,” Griffin insisted.
Ron DeSantis polled second nationally and in Iowa among Republicans, which could give him momentum once primary voting begins. Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
“Ron DeSantis has a stronger mix of endorsements, fundraising and ground game in early states than any other candidate. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley is struggling to answer her poor record in China, accepting refugees from Gaza, and the UN,” he added.
“With all the attacks and attention focused on DeSantis, we know we’re over the top and ready to win this nomination.”
Scott’s campaign predicts a tight matchup between Haley and DeSantis on stage in Miami, Fla., on Wednesday.
“We all knew what was going to happen,” Scott’s campaign manager Jennifer Decasper wrote in a memo.
Tim Scott’s campaign denounced the recent feud between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.REUTERS
“Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will turn into a slugfest. He will attack him because of the failed candidate. He would attack her for being as modest as she was. They are both right.”
Decasper called Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, a “dear Never Trumpers” and ripped the Florida governor for failing to deliver an optimistic message.
“Tim Scott is the best candidate to say that President Trump loses in 2020 and create a red wave up and down in the polls,” his camp said.
Haley appointed Scott to the Senate in 2013.
Notably, Scott was not mentioned in the memo distributed by the Haley campaign.
Donald Trump, shown leaving his Manhattan fraud trial on Monday, is the runaway frontrunner in the 2024 GOP race.Steven Hirsch
Republicans are set to battle it out on stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts starting at 8pm EST.
NBC News is co-hosting the event and has tapped “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker and “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt to moderate it with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Trump is expected to skip the verbal sparring and instead hold a rally in nearby Hialeah, Fla., about a 30-minute drive from the debate stage.
The former president is ahead of the GOP pack nationally with 58.5% support, followed by DeSantis at 13.3%, Haley at 8.4%, Ramaswamy at 4.5%, Christie at 2.5%, and Scott at 1.7%, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
