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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Palm trees and politics were leading the day on Saturday in the Palmetto State as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is fighting for an upset against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
The 2024 contest in Haley’s home state is crucial as she tries build momentum in the lead up to Super Tuesday on Mar. 5. Accompanied by her family, including her mother who was in a wheelchair, Haley cast her vote at her local polling place on Kiawah Island.
But it’s not clear the former United Nations ambassador will be able to notch the victory she so desperately needs on Saturday. An exclusive Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll released earlier this week found that, among those very likely to vote in the state’s Republican primary, Trump leads Haley by a close to 2-1, 63%-35%.
Meanwhile, Trump has already turned his attention to the general election and will spend most of Saturday in the nation’s capital. He will fly to Columbia, S.C. for a primary watch party in the evening.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live updates from the South Carolina GOP primary and check back here for results.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
Trump supporter at CPAC: Pardon Jan. 6 rioters
A prominent supporter of Trump warmed up the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference by calling for pardons and commutations for the rioters of Jan. 6, 2021.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, referred to those arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol as “hostages;” the attack was an unsuccessful attempt to stop the electoral vote count that elected President Joe Biden.
CPAC delegates cheered Fitton’s call.
Trump, who has discussed the possibility of pardons for J6 rioters, addresses CPAC later today.
− David Jackson
Nikki Haley vows to stay in primary until Super Tuesday
Outside her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley told reporters she was laser focused on turning out the vote in South Carolina and Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27 and making it through a weeklong push leading into Super Tuesday.
“That’s as far as I’ve thought, in terms of going forward. We’ve placed ad buys, we’ve gone and put out the public schedule of where we’re going to be, and so we’re going to keep on going,” Haley said.
− Francesca Chambers
What did Trump say about Nikki Haley’s husband?
The primary comes two weeks after Trump’s extraordinary attack on Haley’s husband Michael.
During a rally in Conway, S.C., Trump mocked Michael Haley’s absence from the campaign trail− never mind that he is a service member who is deployed overseas.
“Where’s your husband?” Trump said at one point. “Oh, he’s away … He’s away … What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?! Where is he?! … He’s gone! He knew! He knew!”
In the days since, Haley has described Trump’s comments as “disgusting,” and an attack on all military personnel.
While South Carolina is very much a pro-military state, the Trump attack seems to have had little impact; he still holds big leads in pre-primary polls.
The same day that Trump mocked him, Michael Haley himself weighed in with a social media post. It contained a meme that read: “The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack.”
− David Jackson
Nikki Haley votes in her home polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C.
For Haley this primary contest is deeply personal. It was the state she once governed and the one she calls home.
Accompanied by her mother and surrounded by family members, Haley arrived at her polling place on Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley addressed reporters outside after casting her vote and said she was blessed to be surrounded by family and to “have this moment.”
Haley is first woman of color to be a major candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Watching her mother, who was born in India, cast a ballot for her daughter for President of the United States, “tells us everything we need to know about how blessed we are to be in this country,” Haley said.
For the last four weeks, Haley has been trying to fire up her supporters and turn out general election voters who don’t typically vote in GOP primaries. Haley has committed to staying in the race regardless of Saturday’s outcome, but it will be a lot harder if she loses.
− Francesca Chambers and Megan Smith
Part of Nikki Haley’s plan for the South Carolina Republican primary: Democrats
As she tries to come back against Trump, Haley is urging South Carolina Democrats and independents to turn out for her in Saturday’s primary.
“This is an open primary,” Haley told Fox News this week. “Basically it means anybody can vote in a primary as long as you didn’t vote in the Democrat primary on February 3rd in South Carolina.”
Trump has mocked the notion, saying Democrats shouldn’t be allowed in Republican primaries, especially in a conservative state like South Carolina.
Democratic leaders have also discouraged party members from helping Haley.
Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison, a South Carolinian, told reporters this month that Haley did nothing for Democrats during her years as governor.
Said Harrison to Haley: “You didn’t do anything for us, so we aren’t gonna bail you out.”
But as of Saturday, some voters might not be listening to the Democratic Party’s marching orders.
Hannah James, 18, of Travelers Rest, at the City Hall precinct, said she was a left-leaning Democrat who voted for Haley.
“I decided that if it came down to having a Republican president, I’d rather have Haley over Trump,” James said.
− David Jackson and Terry Benjamin
Donald Trump Jr. – and senior – go after Mitch McConnell in South Carolina
Trump and his surrogates − including Donald Trump, Jr. − have spent most of the South Carolina campaign talking about issues beyond the primary, including their dispute with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
During an appearance in North Charleston, S.C., the younger Trump mocked McConnell’s health issues, describing the Trump antagonist as “Mitch the Glitch,” and referring to his near-catatonic episodes.
“Can we find someone who doesn’t freeze up?” Trump Jr. said. “It’s like Windows 92. Buffering, buffering, buffering.”
His attack followed a comment Donald Trump Sr. made this week about his compatibility with McConnell.
“I don’t know that I can work with him,” Trump said Tuesday during a Fox News town hall.
McConnell, meanwhile, has said little about Trump’s re-emergence as the party’s presidential nominee.
− David Jackson
Will voters choose Nikki Haley or Donald Trump?
Jorge Lara, 43, of Greer, S.C. was one of the first people in line to vote at 7:30 a.m. at Riverside High School and chose Haley as his candidate.
Lara, who originally grew up in Cuba, said it was his first time voting in any primary and will vote against Trump. He believes “our democracy may be in danger.”
“I come from a country where it was a dictatorship,” Lara said. “I see Trump’s leanings and cozying up to dictatorships and kind of accepting the Russian behavior, betraying our allies. This is very important for me. Today’s not so much about a vote for Nikki Haley, or for any particular politician, it is a vote against Trump.”
Klay Peterson, 72, of Roebuck, S.C. said he was voting for Trump because of his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The border is number one. Having been in law enforcement for over 40 years, I’m concerned with safety and crime in our country,” Peterson said. “We don’t know what their intentions are and I’m worried we’ll have to pay that price.”
− Terry Benjamin and Joanna Johnson, Greenville News
The stakes for Haley in South Carolina: Survival
Unless the polls in South Carolina are very wrong, Trump will defeat Haley in her home state − a very unusual occurrence for candidates that make it to the top of the ticket.
In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee.
Back in 2016, as Republican candidates chased the front-running Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich both won their home state primaries.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, however, lost his home state primary to Trump, and quickly withdrew from the race.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, says she is staying in the race regardless of what happens Saturday – but it will be a lot harder if she loses.
− David Jackson and AP
Trump returns to CPAC a year after threatening ‘retribution’
Although it’s primary day in South Carolina, Donald Trump travels to the Washington, D.C., area on Saturday for a reprise of one of his most infamous speeches.
It was at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year that Trump vowed “retribution” against his political opponents, and urged his voters to join him.
“In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice,” Trump told CPAC delegates a year ago. “Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
This year’s CPAC speech is scheduled for the early afternoon at National Harbor, Md.
Trump then heads to Columbia, S.C., for a primary watch party on Saturday night.
− David Jackson
When do polls close in South Carolina?
Polls for South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary will close at 7 p.m. ET.
The state also allowed early voting for the election. Registered voters were eligible to submit an early ballot by Thursday, Feb. 22. Absentee ballots must have been submitted and received by the county voter registration office by Feb. 3.
The state has an open primary, which allows registered voters of any party – Republicans, Democrats or independents – to participate in the Republican contest. Anyone who participated in the state’s Democratic presidential primary, however, are barred from also voting in the GOP election.
− Karissa Waddick
Is Joe Biden competing in South Carolina?
President Joe Biden competed in the South Carolina Democratic primary, which took place on Saturday, Feb. 3. Biden won with roughly 92% of the vote in a landslide victory over his longshot challengers, self-help author Marianne Williamson and House Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn. Williamson and Phillips each received about 2% support.
The next major Democratic primary takes place in Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 27. It is on the same day as the Michigan Republican primary.
− Karissa Waddick
Where do Nikki Haley, Donald Trump stand in Republican polls?
Trump has notched victories in every major nominating contest so far and is leading in most state and national polls. A RealClearPolitics average of South Carolina polls shows the former president ahead of Haley in the state 62% – 37%, a margin of roughly 25 points.
Haley has said that she needs to perform better in her home state than she did in New Hampshire, where she garnered 43% of the vote.
“I don’t think it necessarily has to be a win, but it certainly has to be better than what I did in New Hampshire, and it certainly has to be close,” Haley said of her South Carolina prospects during an interview with NBC.
Haley has pledged to remain in the GOP primary race until March 5, the date known as Super Tuesday when voters in more than a dozen states head to the polls.
− Karissa Waddick
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