Trump Will Be Joined by Sen. Lindsey Graham, Gov. Henry McMaster at First South Carolina Campaign Event

Former President Donald Trump will be joined by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster at his first 2024 campaign event later this month.

South Carolina will be an early-voting state and could easily be a determining factor in the Republican primary. The former president will reportedly be “at the Statehouse in Columbia on Jan. 28 and will unveil his South Carolina leadership team,” according to the Associated Press (AP).

A source close to the campaign confirmed that the event will also include members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation along with state lawmakers. South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry (R), who unseated pro-impeachment Rep. Tom Rice (R) in last year’s mid-term primary, told the AP he will also be attending the event. The AP reported:

Among remaining Republicans in South Carolina’s U.S. House delegation, Rep. William Timmons’ office said he would attend Trump’s event, Rep. Jeff Duncan’s office said he would not, and a spokesman for Rep. Ralph Norman said his attendance wasn’t certain. A representatives for Rep. Joe Wilson didn’t immediately return a message Tuesday.

According to South Carolina government officials, the Trump campaign has blocked off 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. at a variety of sites inside and outside the Statehouse building, planning for “500 attendees.”

Reservation information shared with AP promotes the event “as an opportunity to exemplify the strong support from elected officials in the state as we approach the one year mark to South Carolina’s Republican Presidential Primary.”

The former president announced his 2024 presidential candidacy in the autumn of last year shortly after the midterm elections. He has largely kept his public campaign appearances to a minimum. No other Republican has publicly said if they plan to run for president at this time. The latest polls put Trump ahead of other 2024 Republican prospects, including popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Recent polls focusing on the 2024 GOP primary have yielded varying results as some have shown Trump in the lead while others have given DeSantis the advantage. A Morning Consult poll released last week gave the 45th president an 18-point advantage over the Florida governor, while a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey also shows Trump up double-digits. Conversely, a Wall Street Journal/Impact Research and Fabrizio, Lee & Associates poll from last week showed DeSantis out in front by 14 points.