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President Donald Trump speaks at a rally.
- The chairman of the South Carolina GOP said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that the party may consider cancelling the 2020 primaries in the state to protect Trump from any challengers.
- South Carolina is usually the third state to hold presidential primaries and it is dubbed "first in the south."
- This wouldn't be the first time South Carolina skips its GOP primary. It also did so in 2004, when George W. Bush was running for re-election.
The South Carolina GOP is open to cancelling its 2020 primary to protect President Donald Trump from any potential challengers, said Chairman Drew McKissick in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
South Carolina is traditionally the third state to hold presidential primaries and the first in the south. Donald Trump won the state's 2016 primaries, picking up 32.5% of the vote and setting him up for victory in the Nevada caucus. McKissick said the state's GOP executive committee hasn't had any formal discussions about the primaries yet but didn't rule out the possibility that they could skip out on the contest.
McKissick told the Examiner that he doesn't anticipate anyone would challenge Trump during the primaries.
"Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we'll end up doing what's in the president's best interest," he said.
Others in the state agree. Matt Moore, former chairman of the state party, told the Examiner that "pigs will fly before the South Carolina GOP allows Trump to have opposition."
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There is, so far, only one Republican who has voiced interest in challenging the president come 2020. Current Ohio Governor John Kasich, who lost to Trump in 2016, said he is seriously considering running again. Other Republican leaders have encouraged members of the party to challenge the president, including Maine Senator Susan Collins.
This wouldn't be the first time South Carolina cancels its Republican primary. It also did so in 2004 when President George W. Bush was seeking re-election.
The Examiner reported that the state's GOP might make a final decision on its primary next summer, as the Democratic primaries begin to take shape. The move could save taxpayers some money, as they pick up the bill for both Democratic and Republican primaries.