Nikki Haley secures endorsements from several former Tim Scott backers in South Carolina
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Nikki Haley has picked up a handful of new endorsements in South Carolina, including four from former supporters of Tim Scott’s presidential campaign, as her 2024 White House run continues to gain steam in key early voting states.
State Sens. Shane Massey, Larry Grooms, Katrina Shealy, and Chip Campsen — all of whom backed Scott before he suspended his campaign last month — are among the list of endorsements that the former United Nations ambassador has secured in the past week, according to her campaign.
“There’s no question that Nikki Haley has delivered to the people of South Carolina and I know she’ll be able to deliver to the United States,” Sen. Grooms (R-Berkeley) said. “She knows how to win and that’s what we need right now. We need someone who knows how to win.”
Other South Carolinians on the list include Charleston mayor-elect William Cogswell, philanthropist Anita Zucker, businessman Chad Walldorf, and former U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, who ran against Haley for the Republican nomination in South Carolina’s 2010 gubernatorial election.
As the GOP field narrows, interest in Haley’s campaign has grown in part due to her performances in recent debates. Just a few weeks after the third GOP debate, she hosted a town hall in Bluffton, S.C., which her campaign said was its biggest event so far in the cycle.
“We’re seeing a surge of support across the state,” campaign spokesperson Ken Farnaso said. “South Carolinians trusted Nikki to get the job done — not once, but twice. Now they’re flocking to her campaign because she is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”
Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have both been working to shore up support in the First-in-the-South state ahead of its Feb. 24 Republican primary. DeSantis announced in November that 10 former Scott supporters were now backing him.
The pair remain in a tight race for second place in the Palmetto State as they try to position themselves as the best alternative to former President Donald Trump, who maintains a commanding lead in primary polling.
Meanwhile, Haley’s profile is also rising in New Hampshire. A November poll conducted by CNN and the University of New Hampshire found that 20% of likely GOP voters support Haley, moving her slightly ahead of her rivals into second place behind Trump.
The boost comes as Haley has consolidated support inside and outside of the state by picking up key endorsements in the past month from N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu and the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity (AFP), which promised to commit its nationwide network of grassroots activists and extensive funds to helping her defeat Trump.
In an effort to keep the momentum going, Haley also launched a $10 million ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire last month, marking a sizable investment in hopes of catapulting her to the top of the ticket.
Still, it remains to be seen whether these moves will actually be enough to dethrone the GOP frontrunner.
