LEXINGTON, SC (AP) – South Carolina Republicans on Saturday selected Drew McKissick as chairman for a fourth term at a convention where some of the party’s 2024 presidential hopefuls made pitches to voters in the first state of the southern primaries.
McKissick has led the party since 2017 in a state where the GOP holds every statewide elected office, all but one seat in the US House and control of both legislative chambers. He defeated three rivals. Party officials said in a statement that under McKissick’s leadership, “more Republicans than ever before” had won elections.
None of South Carolina’s presidential candidates, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and US Senator Tim Scott, attended the meeting in Lexington, a suburb of Columbia, the capital.
Scott, who entered the race Friday, sent a video that was played for delegates, and a political action committee that supports him sponsored a breakfast for them.
“The GOP, the party of opportunity, is actually the dominant party in our great state, because of people like you,” Scott said. He encouraged activists to come to his formal campaign launch event Monday in North Charleston so they could be “a part of South Carolina and hopefully American history.”
If elected, Scott would be the first black Republican president.
Haley, a former governor who launched her campaign in February, did not appear in person or by video. She got a mention from the podium when a McKissick rival pointed out that Haley had resigned as governor before the end of her second term to join the Trump administration as a U.N. envoy.
The GOP’s 2024 field is expanding, with Scott, Haley, former President Donald Trump and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson already in the running. Another hopeful, entrepreneur and “anti-awakening” activist Vivek Ramaswamy was the only candidate to address the convention in person.
In a video, Trump said that “now is the time to complete our mission and finish what we started” and “oust Joe Biden from the White House.” A video by Never Back Down, a super political action committee supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares to enter the race, showed DeSantis’ background, including his military service and ongoing disputes with Walt Disney Co., saying the governor has “refused to let Disney push us.”
Last week, Disney announced it was scrapping plans to build a new campus in central Florida and move 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development. The decision came after a year of attacks from DeSantis and the Florida Legislature over the company’s opposition to a state law banning classroom lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in the early grades. Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit against DeSantis and other officials last month.
Given its prominent status on the nominating calendar, South Carolina has for months attracted a number of GOP presidential candidates.
Trump visited in January to deploy his South Carolina leadership team, which includes Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. DeSantis made his debut ride last month, with hundreds in two events. Former Vice President Mike Pence has come numerous times to a state where the support of white evangelical Christians is critical.
Trump’s support in the state has remained high since his victory in the South Carolina primary helped propel him toward the 2016 nomination. But Tyler J. Corn, who leads the Young Republicans of Greater Spartanburg, said he doubts those who say they support the former president will vote for him next year.
“I think there are a lot of people who realistically say they love Donald Trump and they’re probably going to end up voting for Ron DeSantis, because I think a lot of people think he’s a proven winner, and the president, they’re a little bit more concerned about that,” he said. say Corn outside the convention. “I’ve even heard people say, ‘Well, I love Donald Trump, I just don’t like the way he always says things.’ And I’ve yet to hear that complaint with Ron DeSantis.” ___
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