South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley formally endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio for President this evening at a campaign rally.\u00a0 As has been pointed out, without the political machines they once had at their disposal, elected officials\u2019 endorsements mean less than they used to.\u00a0 Still, this is not insignificant, and comes just a few days before South Carolina holds its primary.<\/p>\n

Trump has been leading there and will probably win, but this gives Rubio the inside edge on the alleged \u201cestablishment lane\u201d there, and could even push him past Cruz for 2^{nd<\/sup> place.<\/p>\n}

The endorsement isn\u2019t entirely unexpected.\u00a0 Haley\u2019s State of the Union response angered many of the Trump and Cruz persuasion, for its emphasis on talking about people rather than policies, and its perceived softness on immigration.\u00a0 Personally, I thought the response was inspiring.\u00a0 The tenor of it was very similar to Rubio\u2019s at his most effective.\u00a0 After she delivered it, I figured that she would be supporting Rubio, if not endorsing him.<\/p>\n

[youtube width=”425″ height=”318″]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GS5zR7_7M5c[\/youtube]<\/p>\n

Guy Benson had a Facebook post earlier suggesting that Haley\u2019s endorsement, and that of Sen. Tim Scott, a black Republican from that state, would send an important message to up-and-coming conservatives in the party.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s true, but I think it\u2019s possible that Benson has the cause and effect reversed here.<\/p>\n

Haley and Scott were already prominent non-White conservative Republicans.\u00a0 The message of their endorsement for Rubio is not<\/em> that conservative ideas know no color or sex, that they apply to everyone.\u00a0 That\u2019s the message of Haley and Scott being elected statewide officials in the birthplace of secession, that it\u2019s all right for blacks and other minorities to identify as conservatives and as Republicans.<\/p>\n

They could have endorsed anyone<\/em>, with the exception of Trump, and that wouldn\u2019t have changed.<\/p>\n

They obviously have been sold on conservatism\u2019s message and policies, and believe that those are sellable to other minorities and to women.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that a large factor in their endorsement of Rubio is their belief that of the remaining candidates, he is the most effective communicator of those ideas to those groups.<\/p>\n

[youtube width=”425″ height=”318″]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MLCgeRN_FAE[\/youtube]
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