Based on polling data compiled from 21 polls across the state by Real Clear Politics, if the South Carolina Republican primary were held today former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina would receive 3 percent of the vote, placing her sixth behind (from first to fifth) business mogul Donald Trump, former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
When Fiorina visited South Carolina in September, and candidates like Trump and Sen. Rand Paul also made visits, Fiorina was polling as high as 15 percent in some polls.
To try and combat her recent slide in the polls, Fiorina began a three-day stint in the Palmetto State on Monday.
Beginning in the Upstate, Fiorina served as a speaker at the Upstate Chamber Coalition’s Presidential Series and also addressed a town hall in Anderson.
On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Fiorina plans to make a stop in the capital city, according to Carly for President Press Secretary Anna Epstein.
“She’ll be in Columbia [Tuesday] for a luncheon with the SC Chamber of Commerce board members and for a speech at the First Tuesday Republican Club of the Midlands monthly luncheon at Brookland Baptist Church,” Epstein said.
Florina will head south after her stint in Columbia to visit several locations near Charleston on Wednesday. When asked why Fiorina should stand out to college-age students, Epstein, who mentioned she was traveling with the candidate, listed several reasons.
“The CRNC and G2 Analytics recently announced that overall Millennials aged 18-29 resonated the most with Carly during the last debate, with 81 percent more likely to support her,” Epstein said. “Carly knows that the problems created by our bloated and corrupt government rest more heavily on the shoulders of Millennials — whether it’s crushing student loan debt or an economy that isn’t creating enough jobs for young people. This is why she will restore more choice and competition to higher education, harness the power of technology to engage citizens in their government, and put America back in the leadership business.”
With the SC GOP primary set for Feb. 20, 2016 several other candidates, including Rubio, Carson, Cruz, Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are also scheduled to make stops in South Carolina in the first two weeks of December, although none of those candidates will visit Columbia.