From Anderson, South Carolina -
With the Governor of South Carolina at his side, Marco Rubio is trying to grab on to a late surge of support before Saturday's primary in this key state, hoping to catch up to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
A day after Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Rubio, she had already cut a television ad for Rubio, and was standing by him on the campaign trail as well.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Speaking to reporters before a rally in Anderson, Rubio was clearly pleased to have Haley helping his cause.
"She is everything the Republican Party should be in the 21st century, she is a phenomenal leader," Rubio told reporters.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
There were competing conclusions on the impact of Haley's endorsement; some believing it would certainly help, others thinking there would be no change.
But one pollster found an immediate boost last night for Rubio, as the ARG poll showed a big bump - but the Dupree Rule means we need to wait to see if that is confirmed by other polls before taking it as gospel.
At the Rubio event, my unscientific interviews with voters showed something very interesting - the first three people I spoke to were all down to the same choice, either Rubio or Trump.
I had run into a lot of Rubio or Cruz, but not this combination so far in South Carolina.
"Trump is more like what we all feel - and he's saying it," said Roland Hyanol of Pendleton, South Carolina, who was there to give Rubio a look.
"I'm here to pick," he added.
After the event, he gave me a big thumbs up and said he was definitely going to vote for Rubio.
It was just one vote, but could it be emblematic of a late choice by voters in South Carolina? We'll see.
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