Posted on 05/26/2015 6:17:05 AM PDT by don-o
Photos of South Carolina's most celebrated Republicans crowd every available inch of First Tuesday Strategies' suite—framed on desks, stacked on countertops, pinned to corkboards along the wall. Here, in the offices of the state's premier political firm, the operatives and fundraisers who run the GOP circuit display their allegiances to Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, and Jim DeMint. But there's one man featured more prominently than anyone else: Marco Rubio.
The freshman senator's face is printed on buttons, direct-mail flyers, promotional brochures, dinner programs. He's not from South Carolina. He has never won a race in South Carolina. But the people in this office—and their political allies around the state—aim to change that.
In the six years since launching his Florida Senate campaign, Rubio has become an adopted prince of South Carolina's political royalty. And not by chance. Rubio, whose national ambitions became apparent even before he was sworn into the Senate, quickly identified South Carolina as the home base for his eventual presidential effort, seeing this early-primary state as a more natural fit—culturally, ideologically, geographically—than either Iowa or New Hampshire. He has acted accordingly in the years since—snatching up the state's top talent for his political operation, cultivating personal relationships with influential people on the ground, and making repeated trips to keep tabs on his burgeoning circuit of supporters in the state.
As a result, Rubio has quietly achieved something in South Carolina that no Republican candidate can claim in Iowa or New Hampshire: an organizational lock on one of the most important states en route to the GOP nomination.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Your thoughts?
The SC GOP establishment is horrible, and not always that successful. They got their asses handed to them in 2012 by Newt - by 14 points - in RECORD ALL TIME TURN OUT.
The key is whether anyone, say Cruz, will run the type campaign in SC that Newt did. Another key will be whether or not there are two debates that week.
Another key will be how the GOP e is split in SC between Rubio, Graham and Jeb, because all three will get some estab support. Mitt had almost that audience to himself last go round, and he still got whipped. I would not worry about this at all.
as a SC resident, do you agree with my assessment to don-o in post 4?
South Carolina conservatives’ love affair with Rubio goes way back to his taking out Crist in 2010. That was the first BIG TP win.
ping
(Is Ruby-o your man?)
I agree with your history lesson, but not your conclusion. I still today say Rubio has done us all a huge favor by that. I could make a case that says Ted Cruz and Mike Lee don't even attempt to beat the establishment in their states without Rubio's victory.
Having said that, nationally and in SC, Rubio has lost most of those conservatives.
I’m one South Carolinian that will vote for Ted Cruz.
More than agree; I hope you are right.
Thanks.
No, Rubio is not the one. I plan to Cruz all the way.
South Carolina Ping
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btt
It was at a large sports bar..on a Saturday..they'd booked the place from 10-1..We got there at 9:30, and the place was already packed..SRO, and they were talking about having to call the fire marshals. He was introduced briefly, by some TP person, then he spoke, off the cuff, for 30 minutes, then took questions from the audience for 2 hours...on every topic.
When we left, outside I signed up to volunteer, and wrote a check to the campaign. And that night, on FR, I wrote that I'd just seen a future president of the US. I think it was 2 months later that the NR cover story came out, and that really got the ball rolling.
Rubio delivered us from Crist...and despite some blunders since, he has a lot going for him in the primary season.
I'm supporting Cruz...but if Walker, or Rubio, or heck, even Carly pulls it out..I'm fine with it.
The real question in SC is what will Haley, DeMint, and Scott do. Personally, I'd like to see the three of them stay neutral during the primary.
I think they’ll stay neutral, as will Trey Gowdy too. And they should.
Debates ... and the soundbites that they can generate ... are all important due to many voters being so influenced by soundbites (thank you government schools ...)
Regarding Newt's 14 point S.C. win in 2012 ... I think Juan Williams deserves big credit for his assist in the debates to the cause ....(click on me!)
I have only one problem with Rubio: his immigration stand. I know he’s tried to back away from his participation in the “Gang of Eight,” but that’s a genie that’s impossible to put back in the bottle.
The open border is nobama’s most effective tool to bring down America. He’s obsessed with it.
Since hew Benghazi committee will go on well into 2016, Gowdy will avoid any partisan politics like the plague; until of course, he’s nominated for VP
yes, Juan should get an “in kind donation” letter for that....
Brett Baier was grinning ear to ear (mostly because Juan got his arse handed to him (imho) ...)
Three.
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