Political action committee urges SC residents to vote for Haley regardless of party affiliation

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — This weekend, South Carolina will be the fourth state in the country to award delegates in the Republican presidential race. 

While Donald Trump currently enjoys a large lead over Nikki Haley in delegates won, one political action committee hopes to keep the former South Carolina governor in the race.

“Donald Trump is a pretend patriot. He only cares about himself. That’s what this is about for him. He doesn’t care about the country,” said Robert Schwartz, Primary Pivot co-founder.

The political action committee Primary Pivot was at the statehouse Monday morning hoping to convince Independents and Democrats in South Carolina to vote for Nikki Haley this week.

“There were over 400 thousand people who voted in the 2020 Democratic Primary that did not vote on February 3rd,” Schwartz said. “We’re asking them to choose to vote. That’s it.”

Through text messages and events, Primary Pivot has encouraged voters to vote early or cast their ballots on Saturday. That includes black voters in South Carolina who normally vote for Democrats. 

“To reach out to black voters, we have to reach them where they are,” said Tiffany James, SC senior advisor. “I’ve done a lot of street canvassing and speaking at different events that black voters attend.”

“I stand here as someone who voted on February 3rd who wishes they had waited. I wish I had chosen to vote in this upcoming Republican presidential primary,” added Chris Richardson, SC senior advisor and Democrat. “I don’t have an interest in seeing Nikki Haley prevail per say but I want to save our democracy.”

Those with the super PAC say the former president is a threat to our democracy. 

“He became a dictator not when he challenged the results of the election. He had every legal right to do that,” Schwartz said. “It was when he tried to pressure electoral officials in Georgia, Arizona and Michigan. He cemented himself as a dictator when he tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power.”

Primary Pivot’s co-founder concedes that Nikki Haley might not win her home state this weekend but wants to see her stay in the race. 

“We are just engaging people who are centrist or left of center who care about their democracy. It’s a separate message from Nikki Haley. She’s doing her own thing,” Schwartz said. “Our goal is not to help Nikki Haley win, it’s to help Nikki Haley survive.”

Haley finished second to Trump in both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary but hopes to pick up a significant number of delegates this weekend in her home state.