South Carolina and Michigan
Hello, I hope that your week is going well.
It looks like Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee after New Hampshire – he managed to defeat Nikki Haley by double-digits in what should be her strongest state. Now the primary heads to South Carolina where Trump is favored to win by 20+ points. Nikki Haley will persist for a while, but a big loss in her home state could be a very daunting prospect. The Republican primary in South Carolina takes place on February 24th.
Dean Phillips got 20% in the Democratic primary, a stunningly impressive result given that he started his campaign only 11 weeks ago as a total unknown. It would have been higher if more Independents had decided to vote Democratic - only 115,000 votes were cast in the Democratic primary as opposed to 320,000 in the Republican primary. Clearly, Independents thought the action was over on the Republican side, understandable given the bombardment of Trump and Haley advertising in the state.
Still, 20% is a sign that many Democrats want a genuine choice and a competition, which is consistent with the polling that shows grave concerns about Biden. Indeed, a new poll came out today showing Biden losing to Trump by 7 points nationally, adding to an ever-growing drumbeat of polls in Trump’s direction.
Dean is still new to most Americans, and millions are hungry for a fresh new alternative to free us from the clash of the 80 year olds. A number of people reached out to me about him after New Hampshire, so his profile continues to grow.
We deserve a better contest than Biden vs. Trump II – in what world are those the two best people to lead this country in 2025?
Now the Democratic primary calendar heads to South Carolina on February 3rd and then Michigan on February 27th. South Carolina will be difficult for Dean to make inroads, but in true ‘run to the fire’ fashion Dean is heading there right now. I am going down on Friday to join him in making the case. I loved campaigning in South Carolina and it will be fun to get back.
If you know people in South Carolina or Michigan, please let them know that Dean is on the ballot in both in February and to head to dean24.com to find a local event. I’ll be coming to Michigan too, I have a lot of friends there.
Can we avert the Trump vs. Biden rematch that none of us wants and that may well lead to catastrophe? New Hampshire opened the door a crack, and now it’s up to South Carolina and Michigan to shove it open. Let’s go.
