Haley looks to consolidate South Carolina support after home state newspaper endorsement

A major South Carolina newspaper called for Republican presidential primary candidates to “clear the field” for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, stoking hopes for her backers that she may be consolidating support in the state.

The editorial board cited the opposition of independents, Democrats, and a sizable faction of Republicans to former President Donald Trump, the overwhelming front-runner of the GOP primary, as one reason why if Trump is the nominee he could lose to President Joe Biden in a rematch.

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“It’s also disastrous from the perspective of Democrats and independents — and many Republicans, and the rest of the world — because there’s no guarantee that Mr. Biden would win a rematch,” the board wrote in a Saturday post. “That means a Trump nomination could lead to another Trump presidency. Which is a chilling prospect for countless reasons.”

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is the other South Carolinian seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Instead, the board pushed for the rest of the GOP field to coalesce around Haley as the Trump alternative candidate, joining the calls of former 2024 presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Will Hurd, along with Washington Post columnist George Will. “Ms. Haley is the one Republican who is clearly ascending — in the polls, in fundraising, in her willingness to challenge the former president,” the board continues. “And the Hamas attack on Israel should convince all but the most Trumpian of Republicans that international matters matter.”

In the aftermath of the first two GOP primary debates, Haley has seen her polls rise to the point where she is challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), once seen as the only viable rival to Trump, in polls for second place. A new Emerson College poll showed Trump at 59% in the primary, with Haley and DeSantis tied at 8%. A previous Emerson poll showed DeSantis at 12%, but support has since fallen, while Haley was at 3% and had seen her stock rise 5 percentage points.

Scott is polling at just 1.7% in a RealClearPolitics national poll average, a decrease from when he polled at 3.6% in early July. The South Carolina senator has not yet qualified for the third debate, though his third-quarter fundraising reports showed he had $13.3 million cash on hand, more than any of his primary rivals.

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The newspaper’s editorial board cited Haley’s “impressive foreign policy credentials,” including her fierce condemnation of Hamas, the terrorist group that launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Russia, and China, of which the board found Trump lacking.

“Although Ms. Haley should never be confused with a moderate, she could easily be next year’s choice of independents and traditional Republicans. But that requires the other candidates getting out of the way,” the board concludes. “They need to do so now. While it can still make a difference.”