State Republican leaders in South Carolina are urging GOP voters to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state’s Democratic primary on February 29th.
What We Know:
- Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp, along with other well-known Republican Party leaders, have created a plan dubbed “Operation Chaos”. It’s centered on the GOP leadership’s belief that Bernie Sanders poses little to no threat to President Trump’s general election in November. The main goal is to get South Carolina’s Democratic lawmakers to terminate the state’s primaries.
- Leupp spoke to The Post and Courier stating that “Bernie Sanders is the most socialistic, liberal candidate running in the Democratic presidential preference primary”. They urge that that point alone is enough to persuade Democratic state legislators to help close off primaries in order to protect themselves and the “Republican brand”.
- The same paper also reported that Leupp and company are set to unveil their plan on Thursday at a press conference at the GOP’s headquarters in Greenville.
- South Carolina is a state that has open primaries, meaning voters do not have to register by party and can vote in either party’s contest. Many conservative activists have argued and pushed for change into a more pure party process in hopes they beat Democrats to that cause.
- The chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Trav Robertson Jr., said in a statement Wednesday that anyone is welcome to vote, especially those dissatisfied with the current president.
As the race stands now, former Vice President Joe Biden is heavily favored to win South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary. Unlike Bernie, he is considered to the candidate with the biggest threat to Trump in November, according to polls.
