Tim Scott campaign memo attacks Haley and DeSantis, says senator can create ‘red wave’

Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential campaign bashed two of his Republican rivals in a new memo released two days before they will take the stage for the third GOP primary debate.

Scott campaign manager Jennifer DeCasper predicted that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “will devolve into a slugfest” at the debate in Miami on Wednesday.

“She’ll attack him for the failing candidate that he is. He’ll attack her for being the moderate that she is. They’ll both be right,” Ms. DeCasper wrote in the memo released Monday.

“Does anyone actually believe that a moderate who is running as the darling of Never Trumpers can win the GOP nomination? Nikki’s canned lines can’t change the fact that her ceiling is low and getting lower,” Ms. DeCasper wrote, adding that “nearly 70% say Tim Scott is conservative, just 36% say the same about her.”

Recent polls, however, have shown Ms. Haley gaining ground, while Mr. DeSantis has taken a dive from where he started. A new poll released last week by NBC News and the Des Moines Register from Iowa showed Mr. Scott in fourth place with 7% support, while Mr. Trump leads in first with 43% and Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley tied for second with 16%.

“What about the man who spent $100 million to drop 30 points in the polls? The only thing consistent about Ron DeSantis’ campaign is how much it’s underwhelmed,” Ms. DeCasper said. “To say nothing of the obvious question: How can either candidate present a contrast with Donald Trump when he made each of their political careers?”

Ms. Haley served as governor for two terms, from 2010 to 2017, before stepping down to serve as United Nations ambassador until 2018 in the Trump administration. Mr. Trump often claims that Mr. DeSantis won his gubernatorial election because of his endorsement.

The memo argued that Mr. Scott, South Carolina Republican, has “the conservative credentials” to win and is the “best candidate” to flip the swing states that Mr. Trump lost in 2020 and create a “red wave up and down the ballot.”

Ms. DeCasper called evangelical voters “persuadable,” saying they make up “20% of the entire electorate.” She said they may be the key to Mr. Scott’s success, and that he has a net favorability rating of 77% with that group.

She also pointed out that NBC, which is hosting the third debate, said that “Democrats see [Tim] as a tough general election opponent.”

“The left knows a Tim Scott-led ticket would usher in a red wave that would not just flip the White House but also carry the House and Senate,” she wrote. “It would finally allow us to both win as conservatives and govern as conservatives. That’s why they fear him.”

The third debate will take place in Miami at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Washington Times has reached out to Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis for comment.