Nikki Haley and Tim Scott: South Carolina 2024 hopefuls battle for hearts of voters and donors

Former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott are each looking to secure Republican support in their home state of South Carolina as the 2024 presidential election looms.

The pair made history in 2012 when Haley appointed Scott to the U.S. Senate. He was the first black senator in South Carolina. The two have had political ties over the years, and Haley endorsed Scott’s reelection bid in 2021.

TIM SCOTT AND NIKKI HALEY TO MAKE DUELING APPEARANCES AT SOUTH CAROLINA FORUM

Here’s a breakdown of where things stand should Scott toss his hat in the 2024 ring:

The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations announced on Feb. 14 that she will make a run for the White House. The announcement made her the first Republican challenger of former President Donald Trump and the first woman of color to seek the GOP presidential nomination.

“The women voters who aren’t really satisfied with Trump at the top of the ticket and are not sure what DeSantis is doing, I think, are gonna kind of gravitate towards Haley,” Republican strategist John Feehery told the Washington Examiner.

Scott announced in a video that he had launched an exploratory committee for a 2024 presidential campaign on April 12.

“It just seems to me that, Scott, because he’s a senator and has the key positions in Congress, he’s going to be able to kind of raise some kind of money from that,” Feehery said.

Campaign and committee announcements 

Scott’s video, titled “Faith in America,” covers his dedication to America’s faith values and religious liberty.

Haley’s campaign announcement video, titled “Strong and Proud,” did not focus on her Christian values as much compared to Scott, but it mentioned that she turns to God in times of hardship.

Scott mentions he will defend the right to life in his closing remarks. Haley remained silent on the topic.

Both Haley and Scott shared their backstories and the challenges they have faced.

“The railroad tracks divided the town by race. I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants, not black, not white — I was different,” Haley says in her video. “I believe in creating a country where anyone can do anything and achieve their own American dream.”

Scott struck a similar tone.

“I was raised by a single mother in poverty. The spoons in our apartment were plastic, not silver. But we had faith. We put in the work, and we had an unwavering belief that we too could live the American dream. I know America is the land of opportunity, not a land of oppression. I know it because I’ve lived it,” Scott says.

The South Carolina pool

Both Haley and Scott returned to their roots at a forum in North Charleston on March 18 to garner support from possible voters.

The forum was held by a conservative Christian group, the Palmetto Family Council. Nine politicians attended and answered questions about the future of the Republican Party. Businessman and declared 2024 GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was present as well.

Crowds at the forum welcomed Scott and Haley with open arms. They both received standing ovations as they entered and exited the stage.

“My guess is the day after the South Carolina primary, either Haley or Scott will be out of the race because whoever gets the most votes in the South Carolina primary is going to survive, and the second-place finisher is going to have to drop out of the race.” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told the Washington Examiner.

A Winthrop University poll gathered data from 1,657 South Carolina residents from March 25 to April 1 via phone interviews. One question South Carolinians were asked was who they were most likely to support for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

Data were collected from 485 self-identified Republican registered voters. It found 18% favor Haley for the GOP nomination. It showed her trailing closely behind DeSantis at 20% and further from Trump, who was at 40%. Scott held 7% of the vote, but the poll concluded a couple of weeks before the launch of his 2024 presidential exploratory committee.

“Ironically, I do think that Trump would still win South Carolina,” said Feehery.

The Donald Trump dilemma

With Haley’s campaign in full swing and Scott’s on the potential rise, one hot topic question remains among onlookers: Can Haley or Scott outbid Trump?

“With Trump’s troubles and the fact that DeSantis seems to be struggling, I think there’s room for another Republican presidential campaign to emerge in the mix,” Bannon said. “And it could very well be Scott or Haley.”

During the first quarter, Haley has gathered support from several wealthy elites and billionaires, elevating her appeal to donors that remain on the sidelines.

Harold Hamm, an oil and gas titan who backed Trump in 2016, threw his support behind Haley’s run for office. Haley also scored New Balance owner Jim Davis, who previously donated nearly $400,000 to Trump in 2016. Davis has long shown his support for GOP politicians, such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), and more.

Haley garnering support from some of Trump’s most prominent donors could clear a path for more ex-Trump supporters to test her waters.

“I don’t think that her serving in the Trump administration is a disadvantage,” Feehery said, noting that her connection to the former president gives her credibility with Trump voters. “And I think that she was seen as somebody who was a voice of reason in the administration.”

Scott has been labeled a fundraising powerhouse in the past. He’s earned affection from some notable names in deep-pocket GOP circles.

“Scott is, in his own right, able to kind of break barriers,” Feehery said.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has donated more to Scott than he has to any other politician. The tech giant pledged $10 million to an outside group aligned with the senator in October 2020. In January, Ellison made a large contribution of $15 million to the Opportunity Matters Fund, the Scott super PAC.

Scott has previously earned contributions from Las Vegas casino billionaire Steve Wynn, who has had his share of controversies over the years, including allegations of lobbying for Trump on behalf of the Chinese government.

Scott has won every race he has entered since 2008, and he has fundraised more than his opponents each time.

During a 2014 special election, Scott raised just shy of $7 million in contributions. In his 2022 election, Federal Election Commission records show that number increased to over $43 million.

Connecting to Christians 

Along with tying his boat to billionaires, Scott is building a strong connection to evangelical Christians. Scott dedicated much of his committee announcement to speaking about his beliefs.

“This is a fight we must win, and that will take faith,” Scott said, “faith in God.”

On April 12, Scott was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser hosted by the Five Seasons Republican Women club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He met separately with a group of pastors at a Cedar Rapids church — all influential allies to have in the state.

“Ordinarily, Mike Pence, I would suspect, would be the darling of the religious conservatives,” Brad Bannon told the Washington Examiner. “But I think most Republicans, many Republicans have doubts whether he’s a viable candidate or not.”

Haley has her eye set on pitching to evangelicals as well. She was selected to be Regent University’s keynote speaker at its commencement ceremony on May 6. Regent is a Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. John Hagee of Cornerstone Church, a past supporter of Trump, has pledged his support to Haley.

What’s in the bank

Earlier in April, Haley touted raising $11 million in the first six weeks since launching her campaign. Haley’s team did not release the figure early, like most candidates typically do for boasting purposes, which raised questions from observers.

“We raised over $11 million in six weeks,” an April 10 memo to supporters reads. “That’s more than Donald Trump raised in his first quarter in this race and more than nearly all the Republican presidential candidates in 2016 raised in their first quarter.”

However, first-quarter reports showed a different number: $8.3 million.

The breakdown is as follows:

Haley registered four affiliated establishments with the FEC. Three of the four filed their finances on April 15. Haley’s main campaign committee, Nikki Haley for President, raised $5.1 million, but only $3.3 million came from contributions. The leftover $1.8 million came from Team Stand for America, her joint fundraising committee, in two transfers on March 31.

Team Stand for America reported nearly $4.3 million raised but transferred $2.7 million to other committees.

Stand for America, a political action committee founded by Haley, reported $1.5 million, and $600,000 of those funds came from contributions. The PAC received $886,000 in transferred money from Team Stand for America, her joint fundraising committee.

Adding up the figures from the three committees equals $11 million, but when you subtract the total transfers, totaling $2.7 million, the total is $8.3 million.

Her campaign appeared to double-count transfers from her joint committee to the campaign and leadership committees, but this is uncommon. Trump’s campaign appeared to do this in 2022.

Scott’s campaign numbers are straightforward: If he were to enter the presidential field, he would have $22 million from his Senate campaign that could be used for a bid — the largest cash-on-hand figure of any declared and undeclared candidate.

Earlier this year, Scott hired former Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner and Rob Collins, a Republican lobbyist and former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to co-run the Opportunity Matters Fund, a super PAC supporting Scott’s political career.

Opportunity Matters Fund reported around $16 million at the end of 2022, which could also be contributed to Scott.

The future

While Haley and Scott have each primed themselves to be key players for the GOP, they are still falling far behind the two front-runners: Desantis and Trump. A Wall Street Journal poll released Friday shows national support for Haley is at 5%, and Scott holds 3%. The poll indicated voters would back Trump at 51%, and DeSantis held 38%.

Haley and Scott have appeared to remain friendly ahead of the competition to win over the soul of South Carolina.

“I wish Nikki well,” Scott said during a radio interview for the Faith in America listening tour in Charleston County. The comment came during the Republican Party’s annual Black History Month celebration on Feb. 16.

“She is a smart and constructive individual. She served our state and nation well,” he added.

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The GOP and the rest of America could be on the hunt for an alternative, and Haley and Scott are distinguishing themselves as viable options if they can overcome Trump.

“I can see why they would be attractive to big GOP donors because there are definitely big questions about Trump’s viability, and I think DeSantis is having — is struggling to survive in prime time now that he’s trying to get out of the Florida bubble,” Bannon said. “So I think a lot of GOP donors will be looking for a third option.”