Nikki Haley is not South Carolina’s political favorite.
Despite his extensive record of public service in the Palmetto State — six years as a state legislator, followed by six years as governor — the 52-year-old is staring down a landslide defeat to Donald Trump in next month’s primary.
A limited South Carolina poll showed Haley about 30 points behind Trump, 77, according to RealClearPolitics
In addition, the former president has the support of more than 150 current and former state officials – including the governor, lieutenant governor and both Republican senators.
Haley has argued she doesn’t need the support of the “political elite” and claimed that she is unpopular with South Carolina’s electorate because she considers them responsible for the governorship.
With a loss in Haley’s home state likely killing any chance of her becoming the Republican nominee, the question remains: Where did it all go wrong?
Nikki Haley speaks to supporters at the Grappone Conference Center on primary election day in Concord, New Hampshire. CJ GUNTHER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
‘Simple is best’
Politics is about relationships, and South Carolina is no exception.
The problem facing Haley is that whatever connections she has in Columbia, the state capital, are almost beyond salvage, a South Carolina GOP operative told The Post.
One of Haley’s most talked-about accomplishments during the campaign was one of the first laws she enacted as governor in 2011, which required a roll call vote for most legislation instead of an unrecorded voice vote.
At the time, the move toward transparency was consistent with Haley’s Tea Party persona influenced by outsiders who demanded legislative accountability.
“I rejected them when I became governor. I forced them to show their vote on the record, [so] that they’re not hiding through the ballot,” Haley enthused at a campaign stop in Epping, New Hampshire, last weekend. “I’m forcing them to pass ethics reforms they don’t want to do.”
In retrospect, two state officials who supported Haley said her championing of the recorded vote law is the cause of her current unpopularity.
State Rep. Nathan Ballentine, who served in the state legislature with Haley, recalled that when the recorded vote bill came up for a vote during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, her “biggest enemy” asked for the count to be scheduled when she was gone. from the capital and out on the campaign trail.
“That’s where all the animosity starts,” he said.
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell — who was the first official in South Carolina to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and has now switched his support to Trump — disagreed, arguing that Haley’s lack of support among the South Carolina GOP establishment is due to her policy record. .
“Haley ran away [in 2010] as a strong conservative on a variety of subjects, from school choice to tax cuts, to various government reforms. But none of that ever materialized,” Kimbrell argued, saying he was “walking on a point” but later reigned as “moderate at best.”
“There’s a lot of bad blood there,” he added. “Too many, the vast majority of elected officials here will not support it.”
Another Haley supporter, state Sen. Tom Davis, said the former governor has a chance to come full circle and reclaim his status as the ultimate outsider.
“South Carolinians have a natural suspicion of insiders” and deals “being made in the back room,” he said.
Another worsening factor is the crude nature of South Carolina politics, where “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. In the run-up to the 2000 GOP primary, voters received pushback polls indicating that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has “fathered an illegitimate black child” — suggesting McCain’s adopted child from Bangladesh was actually the result of an extramarital affair.
“South Carolina politics has a very sharp history. A lot of things on the edge of acceptability are going forward,” Davis said.
“South Carolina has a reputation for that kind of politics and it wouldn’t surprise me if the kitchen sink is going to be thrown at it over the next 30 days.”
Nikki Haley speaks at her election night party after former President Donald Trump was announced as the winner, in Concord, New Hampshire. Amanda Sabga/UPI/Shutterstock
Long time passed
Seven years is a long time in politics and the former governor, who resigned in January 2017 to accept the job as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, will have to remind voters of his gubernatorial record next month.
“The short-term memory that the average voter has is not going to remember everything that Nikki Haley did” as governor, South Carolina-based GOP strategist Dave Wilson told The Post.
“That will be the challenge,” Davis agreed. “He’s going to come here and have 30 days to do it.”
Haley’s campaign has risen to the challenge, releasing an ad this week reminding South Carolina voters of her story.
“Nikki Haley took on the political elite when she ran for governor of South Carolina, and she’s ready to do the same again,” said Haley’s national spokeswoman, Olivia Perez-Cubas. “South Carolina voters elected Nikki twice thanks to her conservative record of creating jobs, cutting taxes and fighting illegal immigration. They know that Nikki will always fight for them — not the DC establishment.”
Trump’s stronghold
Trump has played up his support of South Carolina elected officials every chance he gets, inviting them on stage at a New Hampshire rally and rubbing their presence in Haley’s face.
The former president was joined by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, South Carolina AG Alan Wilson, State House Speaker Murrell Smith, state Treasurer Curtis Loftis and Representatives Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Fry.
Donald Trump speaks as Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) listens at a primary election night party in Nashua, NH. AP
At Trump’s victory party in Nashua, former presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), whom Haley appointed to the Senate in 2012, stood directly behind Trump on stage.
“Have you ever thought about it? [about how] he actually appointed you, Tim? … And you are his state senator,” Trump said. “You must really hate him.”
Scott responded by walking up to the microphone and looking Trump in the eye.
“I just love you,” the senator intoned.
“Part of politics, especially Southern politics, is based on relationships,” Wilson said. “Now, those relationships, or lack thereof, are now paying their own dividends.”
A Haley supporter, Ballentine, however, downplayed the impact of dozens of Trump endorsements.
“Would you rather have more? Maybe, depending on who they are,” he said. “There are a lot of ass-kissers who are afraid of Trump who support him because they don’t want a primary opponent. Behind closed doors, some of his supporters did not vote for the man at all.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
