Ron DeSantis pins his White House hopes on the South Carolina primary: Republican to leave New Hampshire (and may not come back) as he shifts most of his staff to Nikki Haley’s home state

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ignoring New Hampshire by spending the weekend before Tuesday’s primaries in Nikki Haley’s home state of South Carolina.

DeSantis’ campaign confirmed to DailyMail.com that the candidate will hold events on Saturday and Sunday in South Carolina, where the fourth Republican primary will be held late next month. Sources say he will be in New Hampshire on Friday, with three separate stops that day in Manchester, Dover and Nashua.

It’s unclear what DeSantis will do Monday and Tuesday, but the campaign said the steps will be announced in the coming days.

“If Nikki Haley fails to win her home state, she’s done for and this becomes a two-way race — and her donors are starting to come to the same conclusion,” a top DeSantis campaign official said. told CBS, who first reported DeSantis’ weekend schedule.

The governor has one more scheduled event in New Hampshire on Wednesday evening before flying back to Florida for two days before returning to the campaign trail this weekend.

DeSantis’ decision not to storm the Granite State follows a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses.

The Republican governor came in second, just 2 percent ahead of Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and onetime governor of South Carolina, and as much as 30 points behind former President Donald Trump, after investing and campaigning millions in Iowa in all 99 counties in the state. .

In addition, DeSantis is moving much of his campaign staff to the Palmetto State, the CBS report said.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire is a state Haley is keen to pick up, with polls showing her in a solid second place, several digits behind Trump.

The Granite State has a very different GOP electorate than Iowa.

Republican voters are much more moderate, especially when it comes to social issues, and have indicated to pollsters that DeSantis’ “anti-woke” message does not resonate with them.

There were two debates scheduled in New Hampshire for the week of the state’s primaries, but both were canceled after Haley said she would not participate in a debate with DeSantis following their one-on-one showdown in Des Moines, Iowa last year. Wednesday.

DeSantis roasted both Trump and Haley on the campaign trail Wednesday for not participating.

“Every time we’ve had a primary in New Hampshire — you’re doing a debate with WMUR — at least you’re doing a debate in New Hampshire,” DeSantis said. “Donald Trump will not debate because he is unwilling to defend his record and Nikki Haley will not debate because she is unwilling to defend her record.”

He also blasted President Joe Biden for Democrats’ decision to reschedule the primaries, which would no longer put New Hampshire first.

“He’s completely ignoring New Hampshire and even changing the calendar because he might not do very well here. That’s not leadership if you’re not willing to show up and participate in that foundational political tradition,” DeSantis said in Hampton.

After his morning event in South Carolina on Tuesday, DeSantis headed north for an event in Claremont, New Hampshire.

He had two stops at Hampton and Jackson State on Wednesday.

As news broke that DeSantis would be leaving New Hampshire after wrapping up his Wednesday events, an audience member at his stop in Hampton tried to question him about accusations that he wasn’t putting enough into the northeastern state.

“Nikki Haley says you’re ignoring New Hampshire. This is my fifth event with you. Can you square that circle?’ asked the gentleman.

DeSantis responded, “I can,” but did not bring up the Granite State at all in his response.

Instead, he used the lines of attack he had often deployed against Haley.

“But Nikki Haley is also someone who wrote in her book that her inspiration for running for office was not Ronald Reagan, not Margaret Thatcher but Hillary Clinton,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis’ focus on South Carolina includes moving much of his staff to the state, a sign he believes he could perform well in rival Nikki Haley’s home state. Pictured: Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley poses with a supporter during an event in Manchester, New Hampshire on Tuesday, January 16

Trump and Haley will also spend Wednesday in New Hampshire, both with evening rallies in Portsmouth and Rochester, respectively.

On the night of the Iowa caucuses, biotech entrepreneur and self-made millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.

Before his South Carolina swing, DeSantis will spend Friday in Florida to attend a ceremony for Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso, whom he appointed to the bench in May.

The South Carolina primaries take place more than two weeks after the Nevada caucuses in early February.

But DeSantis isn’t putting much effort into Nevada.

He told reporters outside his headquarters in Urbandale, Iowa, on Friday that he planned to participate in the Nevada caucuses, “even though they actually rigged that for Trump.”