Democratic voters reveal they are trying to stop Trump from steamrolling Nikki Haley in her home state because they think ex-president will bring ‘fascism’ to the White House and think ‘democracy would be at serious risk’
- South Carolina’s Republican primary is open to any registered voter who has not yet voted in the state’s Democratic primary by February 3.
- Anti-Trump Republicans were joined by Democrats in casting ballots for Haley in an effort to close the divide
- Haley indicated that she would welcome support wherever she could get it
a coalition formed in South Carolina to encourage voters to cast their ballots Nikki Haley in the Republican primaries, amid dismal polls showing Haley trailing by as much as 30 points Donald Trump.
Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans wanted their voices heard in the Republican primaries — and many expressed why they were motivated to vote for their former governor instead of the former president.
“Let’s just say I voted because I’m really concerned about this country and I voted for Nikki Haley,” Becky, 64, told DailyMail.com as he left the Ben Arnold Community Center in Columbia on Saturday afternoon.
Alan, 40, says he leans Democratic, but came out to vote for Haley in the Republican primary because he is “against fascism.”
“It seems like the anti-fascist party is kind of like a Democratic party right now,” he said.
Democratic and anti-Trump Republicans show up to cast their votes for Nikki Haley in an effort to close the gap with Donald Trump in South Carolina’s primaries on Saturday
The organization PrimaryPivot actively encouraged Democrats to forgo their own primaries to participate in the Republican primaries. PrimaryPivot co-founder Robert Schwartz (right) and South Carolina senior advisor Tiffany James (left) stood outside the Ben Arnold Community Center polling place in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday, prompting voters to cast their ballots against Trump
Columbia is a more blue-leaning area of South Carolina — yet the turnout is indicative of how anti-Trump parts of the Republican party are leaning and how motivated Democrats are trying to thwart the former president’s chances of reaching the general election.
South Carolina has an open primary, so anyone registered to vote in the state can participate as long as he or she has not cast a ballot in the Democratic presidential primary on February 3. Only about 130,000 voted in that primary, leaving many Democrats free to vote. votes in the Republican primaries.
The organization PrimaryPivot actively encouraged Democrats to forgo their own primaries to participate in the Republican primaries. The group spent more than $100,000 ahead of the South Carolina primary. They obtained voter files, had three rounds of text messaging and ran radio ads.
Ahead of the Democratic primaries earlier this month, the group sent text messages to 207,000 voters participating in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, urging them to vote in the Republican primaries instead to take on Trump.
“It’s not about being pro-Nikki Haley, it’s about lowering Trump’s margins,” said Robert Schwartz, co-founder of PrimaryPivot. “Every Nikki Haley voter says Trump and MAGA are pushing them away.”
“In the unlikely event that she wins, our democracy survives,” Schwartz said.
Voters in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina cast their ballots Saturday afternoon in the state’s Republican primary
Their push in South Carolina comes as Trump led Haley by double digits in polls among likely Republican voters ahead of the South’s first primary. The group has also been working to mobilize voters in New Hampshire and is looking ahead to Michigan.
Haley herself has indicated that she will accept all the support she can get.
“Anyone can vote in this election, as long as he or she did not vote in the Democratic primary on February 3. I want you to vote,” Haley told a crowd of supporters on the eve of the election. “I want you to bring five people. I want you to make sure you call your friends and email everyone you know.”
Christina Pritchard, 28, told DailyMail.com that she voted for Haley because she is “nervous about Donald Trump.”
She cast her vote there with Jonathan Pritchard, 38, who said Haley only really has a future in politics “if there ever comes a post-MAGA era.”
Zenda Leaks, 61, also came out to vote for Haley on Saturday. She has voted candidate over party in the past and thought Haley has done a good job as governor.
“I’m also very concerned that if Donald Trump comes in, some of the things he says he’s going to do, I believe him,” Leaks emphasized. “I think our democracy would be in serious danger if he were to rejoin, so I voted for Nikki.”