South Carolina Gov. Haley Endorses Rubio

Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio for president, lending Rubio a major boost as his campaign continues to recover from his disastrous run in New Hampshire.

Haley is one of the most popular figures in the GOP, and her endorsement is a significant victory for Rubio in his battle against Jeb Bush and John Kasich to claim the mantle of the Establishment’s favorite candidate.

The endorsement, arriving only days before the crucial South Carolina primary on Saturday, “could have significant impact” in swaying undecided voters, said Jack Bass, professor emeritus at the College of Charleston and noted expert on South Carolina politics and Southern history.

Rubio needs all the help he can get to ensure he beats out Bush and Kasich and draws support from the undecided. An endorsement from Haley days before her own state’s primary is a powerful weapon with which to achieve that goal.

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Despite being associated firmly with the Establishment after she used her response to the State of the Union as a platform to attack Donald Trump’s populist message, the twice-elected governor is very popular with Republicans and conservatives in South Carolina.

“In terms of state issues she’s been pretty conservative, except on the Confederate flag issue,” said Bass.

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But as significant as a Haley endorsement is for South Carolinians who are still deciding how to cast their vote, it may not make many of those who support outsider candidates Trump or Ted Cruz change their minds. It’s “certainly (an endorsement) a candidate would rather have than not, (but) I don’t think it will sway many voters who are already committed to someone else,” Bass said.

“She is the probably the most meaningful endorsement there is. If she is going to give an endorsement, it would be the most powerful, meaningful one in the state,” Jeb Bush said of Haley on NBC, only days before news of her Rubio endorsement.

“And if you don’t get it, what message does that send?” asked host Peter Alexander.

“It sends a signal that I got to work harder,” responded Bush.