Trump nabs Tim Scott endorsement over Haley
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South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) is throwing his support behind former President Trump over home-state favorite Nikki Haley in the GOP primary.
Scott plans to formally back Trump at a rally in New Hampshire on Friday night, The Hill’s Al Weaver and Brett Samuels report. The endorsement comes a little more than two months after Scott himself dropped out of the Republican presidential race amid lagging support.
Why it matters: The Trump endorsement, while not totally surprising, is a blow to Haley, who reportedly courted Scott’s backing.
Both Scott and Haley ran as candidates who could expand the GOP’s appeal beyond the former president. And Haley picked up some previous Scott donors after his exit from the primary, NBC News reported.
It comes at a key moment for both Trump and Haley, who are battling each other ahead of Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. Haley has notably narrowed the gap there, though Trump still leads in polling averages. Between the lines: Haley and Scott have a long history, with Haley appointing him to the Senate to fill a vacancy in 2013 when she was governor of South Carolina.
Scott, meanwhile, has also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick if Trump wins the nomination. So, too, has Haley, who said Friday in New Hampshire: “I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president, that’s off the table.”
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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President Biden on Friday signed the stopgap measure that extends funding for various government agencies until March. The House and Senate passed the legislation on Thursday.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced he raised more than $27 million last year for the Scalise Leadership Fund 2024, which will support Republican House candidates and incumbents.
Check out today’s 12:30 Report for Cate Martel‘s reporting from MaryAnn’s Diner in Amherst, N.H., one of Nikki Haley‘s campaign stops Friday ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary.
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Thousands gather for March for Life amid DC snow |
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New Hampshire numbers to know |
We’re four days out from the first presidential primary of 2024, when New Hampshire voters make their picks for the Democratic and Republican nominations. |
Decision Desk HQ/The Hill polling index of New Hampshire |
GOP RECAP: Nikki Haley has shot up in Granite State polls since October and is now within 11 percentage points of former President Trump, according to Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s polling averages.
Around 39 percent of all GOP primary ad spending in the state (nearly $30 million) has supported Haley, according to AdImpact. - The ad tracking firm’s newsletter, The AdVantage, notes $23 million of that came from the group Stand for America Fund, Inc. Almost $5 million came from Haley’s own campaign.
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Trump has received around $15 million in New Hampshire ad support, including $7 million spent by his campaign.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, polling in single digits in New Hampshire, has received $8 million in ad support in the Granite State, none of which came from his campaign.
DEM RECAP: President Biden isn’t on the ballot, since New Hampshire is holding its primary earlier than the Democratic National Committee sanctioned. Biden could still win Tuesday with write-in votes, however. Recent polling suggests that’s likely: -
An American Research Group poll showed 58 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Biden, compared to 28 percent who back Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) and 3 percent for Marianne Williamson — candidates whose names are on the ballot.
- An Emerson College poll showed 49 percent of primary voters planned to write Biden in, while 16 percent back Phillips. Twenty-seven percent were undecided.
Most of the Democratic ad spending in New Hampshire has supported Phillips.
An AdImpact roundup from earlier this week showed nearly $5 million in pro-Phillips spending, $139,000 supporting Biden and $62,000 supporting Williamson. |
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Jewish House Dems push back on Netanyahu
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Fifteen Jewish Democrats in the House issued a pointed statement against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s recent rejection of Palestinian sovereignty: “We strongly disagree with the Prime Minister. A two-state solution is the path forward.”
From The Hill’s Mike Lillis: “The brevity of the Democrats’ statement reflects the sensitive nature of the debate: The Jewish liberals have strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself following the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, but they’ve long opposed many of the specific policies of the far-right Netanyahu administration.” More here.
Related: Biden speaks with Netanyahu after Israeli leader rejects Palestinian state |
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© AP-Mark Humphrey/Greg Nash |
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Trump urges against border compromise
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As Republicans in Congress wrestle with Democrats and among themselves over border policy, former President Trump is weighing in against any compromise. Trump’s comments come as a bipartisan group of senators works to wrap up negotiations with the Biden White House and move on a package tying border policy with aid to Ukraine, Israel and more.
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4 days until the New Hampshire presidential primaries.
15 days until South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary. |
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Former President Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley hold events in New Hampshire, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigns in South Carolina. |
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| Here’s who’s coming up on the Sunday shows: CBS’s “Face the Nation” — GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R).
ABC’s “This Week” — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Biden campaign aide Quentin Fulks, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer. NBC’s “Meet the Press” — GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Haley surrogate and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). CNN’s “State of the Union” — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
“Fox News Sunday” — Trump campaign surrogate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Haley campaign surrogate Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and DeSantis surrogate Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
— Compiled by The Hill’s Elizabeth Crisp |
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😱 BONUS: FRIDAY FLASHBACK |
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Twenty years ago today, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean emitted a high-pitched “YEAH!” during an impassioned speech, and the nation collectively lost its mind.
The demise of Dean’s campaign is sometimes attributed to what became known as the “I Have a Scream” speech. (The former Vermont governor, for his part, told The Washington Post in 2018 he saw his momentum slipping weeks before the incident.)
Listen to the moment here. |
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