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Two
well-known South Carolina Republicans - U.S. Senator Lindsey
Graham, one of Trump's most loyal backers, and Governor Henry
McMaster - will join Trump at the State House in Columbia as he
unveils his campaign's state leadership team, according to the
announcement.
South Carolina holds outsize influence as one of the first
states to hold presidential nominating contests during election
years.
In 2016, when South Carolina was the third state after Iowa and
New Hampshire, Trump's statewide victory helped solidify his
status as the Republican front-runner. Democratic President Joe
Biden's win in the state's primary in 2020 was a crucial turning
point for his candidacy after his poor showing in the first two
nominating contests.
Democrats, with Biden's backing, have recently taken steps to
make South Carolina their first primary in 2024, in part because
party leaders view Iowa, traditionally the lead-off state, as
too white to reflect the full electorate.
The Republicans have chosen to maintain the traditional sequence
for the first three states: Iowa, New Hampshire and then South
Carolina.
Trump has not hit the campaign trail since he formally began his
presidential run in November, instead making occasional
appearances before invited guests at his Mar-a-Lago estate in
Florida.
Two other South Carolina Republicans - former Governor Nikki
Haley and U.S. Senator Tim Scott - are seen as potential rivals
for the party's 2024 presidential nomination.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jonathan
Oatis)
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