“Are they splitting the vote? Yeah, they actually are,” mentioned Katon Dawson, a former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Celebration who’s supporting Ms. Haley. “Are they going to take any from Donald Trump? I don’t know but.”
Mr. Trump nonetheless instructions a majority share of help amongst Republican voters in South Carolina. He didn’t attend Saturday’s occasion, although he was invited. Neither did Mr. DeSantis, who was additionally invited. Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, who continues to be mulling a potential presidential bid and who attended the discussion board, informed reporters on Saturday that the presence of Mr. Scott and Ms. Haley created “slightly little bit of an advanced area.”
Mr. Scott has been on a weekslong listening tour via early major states, specifically Iowa and South Carolina. Exterior of the requisite engagements with voters and donors, Mr. Scott has paid explicit consideration to religion leaders and has held a handful of listening classes with pastors. Ms. Haley, whose marketing campaign has boasted that she has made almost 20 marketing campaign stops within the month she has been a candidate, plans to go to New Hampshire later in March.
Ms. Haley and Mr. Scott are two Republicans of coloration in an overwhelmingly white get together. Every one has used that distinction to flatten Democratic criticisms of systemic racism in America and to argue that the nation stays a beacon of progress and alternative.
“America’s not racist, we’re blessed,” Ms. Haley mentioned, a message she has emphasised repeatedly.
Mr. Dawson, the previous chairman of the state Republican Celebration who’s supporting Ms. Haley, supplied one other situation. As a substitute of cannibalizing one another’s voters, Ms. Haley and Mr. Scott, he mentioned, may consolidate their assets if one in all them have been to droop their presidential bid to help the opposite. Such a transfer may strengthen one contender’s odds towards a higher-polling candidate, similar to Mr. Trump or Mr. DeSantis.
“You crew these two up on one thing, you bought an issue,” Mr. Dawson mentioned. “As a result of they like one another.”
