THOSE STORIES NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE WERE RUNNING TO BE THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. NOW IT’S DOWN TO JUST TWO DONALD TRUMP AND NIKKI HALEY. YOU’D THINK THINGS WOULD BE LOOKING UP FOR HALEY, WHO MANAGED TO CUT THROUGH THAT PACK THE NEXT PRIMARY IS IN HER HOME STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, A STATE SHE WON TWICE AS GOVERNOR. BUT TRUMP ALSO HAS A WINNING RECORD THERE, TAKING THE STATE IN BOTH THE 2016 AND 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RACES. SO WHERE DOES SOUTH CAROLINA VOTERS LOYALTIES LIE? GIBBS KNOTTS IS A PROFESSOR AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON. HE’S ALSO THE AUTHOR OF FIRST IN THE SOUTH. GIBBS KNOTTS ALWAYS NICE TO SEE YOU. SO I GUESS THE SHORT VERSION IS NIKKI HALEY WOULD BE A SHOO IN IF DONALD TRUMP WASN’T A SHOO IN ALREADY. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ELECTORATE OUT THERE AND AND HOW IT’S LOOKING AT THIS MOMENT. YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT. I MEAN, SHE GOT ELECTED TWICE AS GOVERNOR. SHE WENT ON TO SERVE IN THE UN. SHE WAS POPULAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA. SHE STILL IS POPULAR IN SOUTH BUT I THINK IT’S IT’S REALLY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT THE PRE-TRUMP ELECTORATE AND THE POST-TRUMP ELECTORATE. THE LAST TIME HALEY WAS ON THE BALLOT WAS 2014, AND IT’S A MUCH DIFFERENT SOUTH CAROLINA GOP. THERE’S A DIFFERENT TONE TO THE POLITICS, AND SHE’S REALLY NOT CATCHING A LOT OF MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW. WHO WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE IN THIS PRIMARY? YEAH, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN OPEN PRIMARY. AND ONE THING TO NOTE WAS THAT JOE BIDEN JUST WON 96% OF VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, BUT ONLY ABOUT 130,000 PEOPLE VOTED THAT IS 400,000 LESS THAN VOTED FOUR YEARS AGO. AND SO THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY COME OUT IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, MAYBE FOLKS THAT SOMETIMES WILL VOTE IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES THAT COULD HELP HALEY. NIKKI HALEY HAS POSITIONED HERSELF AS THE ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE, WHICH IS SO WEIRD WHEN YOU THINK LIKE YOU’RE THE YOU’RE THE GOVERNOR TWICE. WHAT’S HAPPENING? IS THAT GOING TO WORK? I THINK THAT’S REALLY HER ONLY CHOICE. WHEN. YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE OTHER STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND RICK, PUBLICANS IN THIS STATE WHO THEY’RE BACKING, I MEAN, HENRY MCMASTER WAS AN EARLY TRUMP SUPPORTER. HE’S A POPULAR TWO TIME GOVERNOR. HE’S STILL WITH TRUMP, LINDSEY GRAHAM AND TIM SCOTT, THE GUY SHE APPOINTED TO THE SENATE ARE ALSO FOR DONALD TRUMP. AND SO HALEY’S GOT PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE ESTABLISHMENT LINED UP AGAINST HER. WALK ME THROUGH THE WHAT PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT NIKKI HALEY AND WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. WHERE ARE THEIR STRENGTHS WHEN IT COMES TO THE ELECTORATE? SOME OF THE THINGS WHEN I LOOK BACK ON HALEY’S SIX YEARS IN OFFICE AS SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR WAS SHE TENDED TO SHINE WHEN THINGS GOT BAD FOR THE STATE. SHE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB. WHEN SOME TROPICAL STORMS HIT THE STATE. AND THEN THE ISSUE THAT REALLY PUT HER ON THE NATIONAL MAP WAS THE TRAGEDY AT CHARLESTON’S MOTHER, EMANUEL AME CHURCH DID A GOOD JOB OF, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE CITY AND THE STATE TO TRY TO HEAL. OBVIOUSLY CALLED FOR THE CONFEDERATE FLAG TO COME DOWN FROM STATEHOUSE GROUNDS. AND SO I THINK SHE’S SOMEBODY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE’S A DIFFICULT TIME, IS ABLE TO KIND OF STEER THE SHIP AND BE A LEADER IN TERMS OF DONALD TRUMP. I MEAN, I THINK IT’S, YOU KNOW, A FONDNESS FOR THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. LET’S TAKE EVANGELICALS. THAT’S A THAT’S A BIG GROUP THAT SUPPORTS DONALD TRUMP IN SOUTH CAROLINA. AND IT’S A BIG GROUP THAT YOU NEED TO GET IF YOU’RE GOING TO WIN A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY IN SOUTH CAROLINA, THAT’S WHITE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS. THEY FEEL LIKE DONALD TRUMP IS OUT THERE FIGHTING FOR HIM. AND SO EVEN THOUGH DONALD TRUMP CERTAINLY NOT A SOUTHERN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN, THAT’S A GROUP OF SUPPORTERS, HE’S BEEN ABLE TO GET A REALLY LOYAL FOLLOWING FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, HAS AN EXCELLENT RECORD WHEN IT COMES TO PREDICTING WHO, IN FACT, COULD WIN THE ELECTION. BUT EVEN OUTSIDE OF SOME OF PREDICTIONS, IF NIKKI HALEY FAILS, IT’S GOING TO SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT HER VULNERABILITY IN A MUCH BIGGER ELECTION. ABSOLUTELY. NIKKI HALEY IN SOME WAYS, SHE’S GOT HER DREAM SCENARIO. SHE’S ONE ON ONE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP. SHE’S COMING TO HER HOME STATE, SHE HAS SUPPORT FROM THE KOCH BROTHERS NETWORK. A LOT OF THINGS ARE LINING UP FOR HER. BUT THE PROBLEM IS SHE’S COMING TO A PLACE WHERE DONALD TRUMP IS ALSO VERY, VERY POPULAR. AND, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IF SHE CAN’T WIN IN SOUTH CAROLINA, IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW SHE CONTINUES. I MEAN, I GUESS THERE’S A POSSIBILITY THAT SHE JUST DECIDES TO HANG AROUND IN CASE SOME OF THE LEGAL ISSUES FINALLY CATCH UP WITH TRUMP. BUT CURRENTLY IT’S NOT LOOKING VERY GOOD FO