Donald Trump in a massive victory on Saturday defeated Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina, coming one step closer to the Republican presidential nomination. The former president defeated his opponent by a 20-point margin, attaining his fourth consecutive victory after winning in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and the US Virgin Islands, ahead of the US presidential elections in November.
Despite these victories, Trump needed to win the South Carolina primary as it was a key Republican primary state that usually predicts the party's nominee. Besides, Trump was facing a rival who had already won two terms as governor of the state and is locally popular as well.
What Was The Plan?
According to aides and people associated with the campaigns, the victory was the result of a ruthless and methodological campaign that Trump used to eliminate his opponent in her home turf.
Trump's plan was to isolate Nikki politically by quickly locking down endorsements from scores of officials in the state to showcase publicly that she had no way to reach the presidency through South Carolina.
Although Trump's victory on Saturday was not a complete knockout, he defeated her by a 20 percentage points on her home turf.
A senior Trump campaign adviser stated: "We were facing a two-term governor. That necessitated a show of force. We needed endorsements to stop donors and voters from taking a look at Nikki," news agency Reuters reported.
Trump's campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita said that the series of big-name endorsements played a major role in ending the competition in South Carolina.
LaCivita also stated that the crucial part of Trump's success was to harvest data on the thousands of voters who attended the former president's rallies, Reuters reported.
Operating from an inconspicuous office park in North Charleston, campaign personnel have been diligently working for months to leverage voter data for consistent communication with prospective voters. Trump employed a similar strategy to secure victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.
How Endorsements Changed The Game
Until December, Nikki was confident that she would defeat Trump in South Carolina and even publicly stated how her win on her home turf would turn the nominating contest around. Instead, it became a state where her campaign suffered a fatal blow.
By January 2024, Trump had secured 158 endorsements of current and former South Carolina Republican officials, including mayors, sheriffs, and lawmakers. On the contrary, Nikki had just received an endorsement from one of the U.S. House of Representatives, two mayors, and 11 current state lawmakers, Reuters reported.
Trump's campaign advisor remarked: "Those endorsements (of Trump) do matter. They are absolutely embarrassing in their numbers for Nikki Haley."
Leading the effort to secure endorsements were the state's governor, Henry McMaster; Ed McMullen, Trump's former ambassador to Switzerland and a seasoned figure in South Carolina politics; and Justin Evans, a state operative who managed Haley's inaugural political campaign in 2010. Playing significant roles in obtaining endorsements within the State House were the influential South Carolina House of Representatives speaker, Murrell Smith, who endorsed Trump in August 2023, and the state's lieutenant governor, Pamela Evette.
McMullen revealed that he and other Trump allies initiated plans to ensure the former president's complete supremacy in the state as early as June 2022, months before Trump formally announced his presidential candidacy in November of that year. Haley announced her candidacy in February 2023.
"The president was very generous with his time, he met with numerous people, it made clear to people he was serious and very much wanted their support," McMullen stated.
Although Haley publically stated that the endorsements that Trump received did not bother her, her associates have expressed feelings of betrayal over the departure of certain prominent allies.