What you need to know ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to South Carolina

Donald Trump's "Save America Rally", intended to support his endorsements of state Rep. Russell Fry and Katie Arrington in two congressional races, is being viewed by national and state watchers, as a soft election campaign for 2024.

And while, South Carolina, a consequential Republican stronghold and the home of the "first in the South presidential primaries", has always been Donald Trump's to win, his return, marked by an investigation by the Jan. 6 Congressional panel and lawsuits stemming from his tax records, has put to test the growth and evolution of his influence.

Especially, since Florence, where the rally is set to happen on March 12, falls in the 7th Congressional District led by U.S. House Rep. Tom Rice, who was one of 10 Republicans, who voted yes to impeach Trump after the U.S. Capitol riots.

Rice's vote led to a big dive in his popularity among members of the SC GOP, which voted to censure his decision. Meanwhile, Trump's endorsement for Fry led to an astronomical increase in fundraising and grassroots support for the state representative.

As for the 1st Congressional District, Rep. Nancy Mace, who is poised to fight for the Republican seat against Trump-backed Arrington, was endorsed by former Gov. Nikki Haley, indicating signs of a dramatic litmus test of where voters stand when it comes to the 45th president.

What you need to know about the rally

• The rally will take place at Florence Regional Airport. Parking opens at 8 a.m. Doors open at 2 p.m. Speakers will start speaking from 4 p.m. onward and Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m.

• The SCGOP has kickstarted fundraising efforts, with flash ticket sales of about $99 apiece.

• Gov. Henry McMaster, who was endorsed by Trump back in March 2021, as well as Fry and Arrington are slated to speak at the event. Back in Feb., the day Trump endorsed Fry, McMaster met with the former president. The Gov.'s office said that while no details of the private meeting would be released, both men share a long friendship and productive working relationship.

• On March 8, the Trump campaign announced four new speakers: SC GOP Chairman Drew McKissick; Brandon Judd, who is the President of the National Border Patrol Council; Lou Holtz, who coached the University of South Carolina football team, and Anderson resident Graham Allen, a former candidate for the 7th Congressional District, who dropped out of the race in late January.

What the speakers are likely to focus on

"We're excited, because we know here over the course of the last five or six years, we've seen incredible growth here in the party in South Carolina, because of President Trump," McKissick said.

"The energy that a lot of new people have brought to the party and the success we've seen in local party growth, particularly in some more rural and previously Democrat counties that are now turning Republican — we're electing Republicans countywide for the first time since the Civil War," McKissick continued.

Several GOP workers, much like McKissick, have credited Trump for pulling people from all across the state, representing economic and social anxieties experienced by the middle class.

According to election commission data, over 466,000 Republicans voted in the state primaries in 2020, marking a 24.7% increase compared to the 2018 state primaries, following which, former U.S. House Rep. Joe Cunningham, a Democrat, flipped the First Congressional District from red to blue in the general elections. Mace brought the seat back under GOP control in 2020.

Meanwhile, Judd, based on his previous remarks, is likely to focus on Trump's "build the wall" agenda.

In a discussion with House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy on March 1, Judd said, "This is a man-made crisis. It’s simply because this administration took away all the policies that President Trump implemented that were so beneficial to border security. And because of that, we’re seeing something that is completely and totally out of control.”

Former USC Head Coach Holtz, who has been a longtime Trump ally, has referred to Trump as the "greatest president in his lifetime", ESPN reported. Holtz was born in 1937.

In 2020, he was awarded the "Medal of Freedom".

Allen, a popular right-wing media celebrity, was at one point seen as a serious contender for Rice's seat. A former vet, Allen is likely to focus on Rice's relationship with Trump and lead with an oft fact-checked false claim of a fraudulent election in 2020.

Political consultants and election watchers are expecting thousands of supporters to come into Florence Saturday from across the state and state lines.

Devyani Chhetri is the state government watchdog reporter. You can reach her at dchhetri@gannett.com or @ChhetriDevyani on Twitter. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, Upstate Capitol Report, to get the inside scoop on South Carolina politics, straight from her, every Monday.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Donald Trump’s visit to South Carolina could mean for the state