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Donors to Tim Scott’s presidential campaign are switching their support to fellow South Carolina native Nikki Haley after the senator suspended his campaign Sunday evening. Campaign staff and donors alike were blindsided by Scott’s announcement on Fox News that he was ending his bid for president, just four days after the third GOP debate, where he publicly debuted his relationship with interior designer Mindy Noce.
Eric LeVine, a major donor based in Seattle who campaigned for Scott in New York, and fellow donor and metals magnate Andy Sabin, now say they will support former U.N. Ambassador Haley’s presidential campaign. Other donors also indicated that after Scott’s suspension, they are looking to Haley as their backup — and not front-runner Donald Trump or de facto second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
LeVine told the Associated Press that he was blindsided by the news that Scott was quitting and plans to host a fundraiser for Haley soon. “(Scott) stepped aside with dignity. He is a true patriot. I couldn’t have been prouder to have supported him. (Haley) is our last best hope to defeat Donald Trump and then take back the White House,” he told the AP.
Sabin, known as a Republican kingmaker, said he would also support Haley’s bid. Chad Walldorf, a South Carolina donor, agrees with LeVine and Sabin that the obvious move is to shift their financial support from Scott to Haley now that he has suspended the campaign. He praised Scott for suspending his campaign early enough for voters and donors to consider their other options.
A former Scott donor from California, Jeff Burns, said he was inclined to go to Haley now, but he hadn’t decided yet. After Scott’s suspension, those who remain in the running are Trump, DeSantis, Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is also still in the running, even though he has only made it through the first debate stage so far and has not qualified since.
In addition to support from donors, Haley also sees broad support from independent parties in the polls. Senator Scott abruptly announced he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential primaries during a Fox News interview with host and former South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy. The news came as a shock to even his campaign staff, who confirmed to DailyMail.com that they learned of Scott’s decision to quit on live television.
The announcement comes just four days after Scott showed up for the GOP’s third primary debate with his girlfriend Mindy Noce, 47, ending months of speculation about his love life. Scott, 58, posed for photos with the mother of three behind his debate lectern and briefly held her hand in a touching moment after a tense night in the GOP primaries. “I love America more today than I did on May 22,” Scott said in the Sunday evening interview. “But if I go back to Iowa, it won’t be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign.’
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