Donald Trump's crackerjack campaign team isn't exactly firing on all cylinders ahead of its Jan. 28 rollout in South Carolina.
In fact, the account in The Washington Post suggests Team Trump is already sucking wind before the race has even started. Instead of a triumphant campaign kick off replete with a muscular show of support from local big hitters, many Palmetto State pols are keeping their powder dry in the event that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or Sen. Tim Scott throw their hats in the ring.
“Nikki Haley is probably our first South Carolinian since we voted for George Washington that has really had a chance of being president of the United States,” former South Carolina GOP Chair Katon Dawson told the Post. “And I think the Trump folks are going to run into that history.”
So Trump, after completely blowing the midterms for Republicans, is having trouble getting traction in South Carolina because of Haley and Scott.
That's not exactly a good sign for the GOP frontrunner. Sure, Haley and Scott are a big deal in South Carolina, but nationally they barely register. A mid-January Morning Consult tracking poll of prospective GOP presidential candidates put Haley at 2% and Scott at 1%. That's worse than Liz Cheney, who despite being practically excommunicated from the party for her role on the Jan. 6 committee is running at 3% nationally.
Trump leads the poll at 48%, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running second at 31%. But still, if Trump's attempts to consolidate power in South Carolina are being frustrated by two potential rivals who are running worse than Cheney, that’s not exactly a show of strength.
In a recent Fox News interview, Haley explained her two considerations for deciding whether to run: First, does the country need new leadership, and second, could she fulfill that role?
"Can I be that leader?" she posited. "Yes I think I can be that leader.”
Haley didn't make a formal announcement, saying simply, "Stay tuned." But she took the opportunity to tell viewers, "I've never lost a race."
In the meantime, consummate Trump bestie Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is burning up the phone lines in his home state trying to drum up a little love for Trump and coming up dry in many instances. That’s partly due to Haley and Scott, but DeSantis is also crowding out Trump.
“The Trump campaign is trying to consolidate support. But I don’t think it is going to be as quick as they think,” explained one state lawmaker who has rejected requests to get behind Trump at this early stage. “Right now my constituency is as excited about Ron DeSantis as Donald Trump, if not more.”
Ouch.
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