Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who gained a boost in notoriety after texts were circulated that showed him pushing the idea to Mark Meadows shortly before Trump left office of imposing martial law, won’t even be supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential primary inside the GOP.
Norman is instead supporting Nikki Haley, a former official in the Trump administration and past governor of South Carolina who was reported to be preparing an announcement of a bid for president before she confirmed the campaign earlier this week. Notably, Norman was among the past and potentially future allies to Trump who demurred on attending an event Trump recently held in South Carolina as part of his 2024 bid for president, although it wasn’t clear at the time that Norman would eventually be endorsing somebody else. A report in The Washington Post cited ostensible difficulties in scheduling, which in hindsight seem like a convenient excuse. Norman had “a prior commitment on Jan. 28 that he may not be able to break to attend the rally,” the Post said, reporting on what advisers revealed.
“However, the Republican Party has entered a season of change,” Norman said after a discussion of his past support for Trump. “We’re at a pivotal juncture, and most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership with a new vision at the top of the ticket. Nikki Haley has that vision, and she’s going to be an outstanding President.” Norman was even among the House Republicans who voted against certifying certain electoral votes won in 2020 by Joe Biden, despite the total lack of real-world evidence of fraud behind the results, and later, Trump endorsed his campaign for re-election in last year’s midterm elections. Norman has a long history of ties to Haley. He also supported the successful bid for governor she made in 2010, Fox noted.
Polling has suggested Haley has a long road ahead of her before coming even close to winning the nomination over Trump, who was the first serious contender among Republicans to announce his campaign. Haley got just four percent of the support in a poll by Ipsos completed earlier this week that examined the primary field. In the same survey, Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis got 31 percent, and he hasn’t even announced a campaign, although talk of him potentially doing so continues. Trump led both candidates.
This is probably no surprise for many of you. I’m thrilled to be in Charleston this morning to throw my support behind Nikki Haley for President in 2024!(1/3)https://t.co/3T8afcDZko
— Ralph Norman (@RalphNorman) February 15, 2023
