Tim Scott ‘not at all’ surprised by media and Left embracing ‘moderate’ Nikki Haley

EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said he was “not at all” surprised by media and the Left as they “seem to be rallying behind” his South Carolinian opponent former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, slamming her as “moderate.” But according to Scott, “a moderate candidate will not beat Donald Trump.”

In an interview with the Washington Examiner on Thursday, Scott responded to the Charleston, South Carolina, newspaper the Post and Courier’s editorial board, which recently called on Republican presidential candidates to “clear the field for Haley,” dubbing her the only candidate who can defeat Trump.

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“I think moderates getting behind Nikki is a fairly common thing,” said Scott, who is from North Charleston.

“The media and the Left seem to be rallying behind the most moderate candidate in the race,” he added. “I’m not sure if that’s good for the party, but it certainly is something that’s expected.”

Of Haley, who appointed Scott to the Senate in 2012 during her time as governor of South Carolina, he said, “She’s taking the most moderate positions.”

“Her first position on the Palestinian refugees was to accept them,” the senator said, referring to the discussion on accepting refugees from Gaza amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Then she saw that that was out of step with the party, and she decided to change her position,” he added.

Scott was referring to a clip of Haley on CNN that had been touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) campaign and others as evidence that she supported bringing Gazan refugees into the country. In the clip, Haley said, “America’s always been sympathetic to the fact that you can separate civilians from terrorists. And that’s what we have to do.” However, she didn’t indicate her support for admitting refugees from the region. The claim was fact-checked and determined to be false, however, by a variety of outlets after it was repeated by DeSantis.

Haley was more clear in subsequent appearances, saying explicitly on Fox News, “When it comes to the refugees, the Hamas-supporting countries should be the ones that take them.”

Scott added, “She’s playing a position where she would be pro-life for South Carolina but pro-choice for the rest of the country. That’s obviously a moderate position for our party, but one that certainly resonates on the Left.”

Haley has come under fire at different points during the campaign for what was seen as a retreat on abortion policy. The former South Carolina governor has made a point of noting the type of federal limitation Republicans want to see on abortion would not be feasible in the Senate. Haley has often qualified her support for federal abortion bans with the caveat that such legislation is unlikely to pass. She has also called for “consensus” on abortion policy so it could successfully maneuver through the legislature.
Both Trump and DeSantis have faced similar criticisms during the campaign season for comments that appeared to back down from supporting federal policy on abortion.

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Scott, along with former Vice President Mike Pence, however, has been consistent in his commitment to signing a federal limitation on abortion if elected president.

Asked about the flurry of columns claiming Republicans should rally around Haley as she sees polling increases and momentum, Scott said voters disagree with the idea that she is the best candidate to beat Trump. He said the candidate to take on Trump in the primary successfully cannot be a “moderate.”