Nikki Haley Set to Benefit from Tim Scott’s Departure

Hours after Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Sunday, pundits and pols generally agreed that the chief beneficiary would be his fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley.

Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, who exited the presidential race a week earlier, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is also expected to bow out within days, are all considered likely to weigh in for onetime United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Haley.

The reason is obvious: they believe that Haley represents their best hope of stopping Donald Trump from getting the Republican nomination.

“It helps Haley,” said Rex Nelson, onetime communications director for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, about Scott’s withdrawal, “The key is having fewer candidates in the race and we appear to be reaching the point where there will only be a couple of alternatives to Trump.”

“She probably will gain some in numbers, as she and Scott have a similar base,” retired U.S. Court of Claims Judge and former South Carolina GOP Rep. John Napier told us, “The question is how much? Will that performance in the polls be such as to meet media and pundit expectation?”

The Trafalgar Poll showed that in South Carolina, likely Republican primary voters showed Trump with a commanding lead of 47.9%, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 13.8%, Scott 13.6%, and Haley 8.4%.

Trafalgar is now in the field and a new survey is expected out soon — and sure to be watched nationwide.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.