South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley came out supporting Sen. Marco Rubio for President on Wednesday ahead of her state’s Republican primary election.
South Carolina voters will have the chance to pick their favorite candidate during Saturday’s primary election.
A South Carolina political insider confirmed the endorsement according to the New York Times. Rubio’s campaign had not commented on the endorsement and the candidate did not speak of it at a Wednesday afternoon rally, according to the report.
Haley is expected to make an appearance at a Rubio rally Wednesday night near Columbia, according to the Times.
Establishment candidate Rubio struggled after a strong third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, finishing fifth in New Hampshire. Fellow establishment candidate former governor Jeb Bush stands waiting in the wings, pressing hard for a good finish over Rubio in Saturday’s primary election. Media outlets such as Fox News played up Rubio’s Iowa third-place finish in the media as if he was a winner when candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump came in ahead of the Florida Senator.
Washington D.C. insiders and members of the consultant class have pushed the idea of a “Rubio surge” going into Iowa and pressing forward to South Carolina.
Haley was chosen to deliver the official Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address in January. Haley threw in jabs toward Donald Trump’s candidacy. Marco Rubio delivered the GOP SOTU response in 2013 and was famously ridiculed after he took a moment to reach for a drink from his water bottle.
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