Donald Trump is using a college football rivalry weekend to bask among his supporters in a state and region that are key to his presidential fortunes, while potentially upstaging his Republican opponent Nikki Haley on her home turf.
The former president and current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination will be on hand Saturday when South Carolina hosts Clemson, Haley's alma mater, in the annual Palmetto Bowl.
Trump's campaign has not detailed his itinerary. But if his visit is similar to his trip to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State-Iowa game, he will visit pregame parties, perhaps stop by a fraternity house and then join 80,000-plus at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Haley is a member of Clemson's board of trustees and an avid Clemson sports fan, but her campaign has not said whether she will attend the game. Asked about the coming primary matchup with Trump on her home turf, spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas called Haley "the only candidate with momentum" and referenced her previous come-from-behind victories in legislative and gubernatorial contests.
"South Carolinians know their governor has what it takes to win because they've seen her beat the odds before — not just once, but twice," she said.
Haley was governor of South Carolina until Trump tapped her to be his U.N. ambassador in 2016. Trump continues to hold a wide polling lead over Haley and others in the state and nationally.
South Carolina falls fourth in the GOP voting calendar after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, with the state's first-in-the-South primary coming up on Feb. 24, 2024. Several Southern states follow on March 5 as part of the Super Tuesday slate that puts more delegates up for grabs than any other day in the primary campaign.
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