Big news out of South Carolina. Popular Gov. Nikki Haley will endorse Sen. Marco Rubio in the GOP presidential race:
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will win South Carolina’s most Republican coveted endorsement of the 2016 presidential race when Gov. Nikki Haley announces her support at a Chapin rally on Wednesday evening, a source with knowledge of the governor’s decision told The State.
Haley, the state’s most popular GOP politician in polls, has decided to back the establishment candidate considered to be in best position to challenge Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has shared advice on education issues with the governor and helped her raise money for her re-election bid in 2014, also was considered a top contender to win Haley’s endorsement.
But he has lagged in recent S.C. polls, falling to fifth in the six-candidate GOP field. Rubio sits third.
According to a recent statewide poll, Haley has a remarkable 80 percent approval rating among South Carolina’s likely Republican primary voters, and is often mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick. Haley joins fellow Palmetto State conservatives Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy in endorsing Rubio.
Do you think this will help Marco’s fortunes in SC’s crucial vote — and does it make Haley a front-runner for his potential veep spot?
Update: C-SPAN is running a live feed of the endorsement.
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Yet another reason not to vote for Rubio.
Peter,
I don’t see how it doesn’t. On top of everything else, a Rubio-Haley ticket would be unbeatable. The democrats would lose very, very, big.
Regards,
Jim
It probably will and more importantly it’d better help him. If he comes third or worse with Haley, Gowdy and Scott he’s lost the nomination.
Governor Haley has conducted herself with poise & grace when the lights have been the brightest (after the Charleston atrocity, her State of the Union response). This should help Rubio & he’d be very short-sighted to not have her on the short list, should it come to that.
I will be fascinated, in a train wreck sort of way, to see Trump’s reaction to this.