South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to endorse Marco Rubio for president

And it comes as Trump and Cruz have ramped up the attacks on each other in the days leading up to the South Carolina GOP primary.

Trump has repeatedly advocated enhanced interrogation techniques for foreign prisoners, and he said again Wednesday he would “absolutely” allow waterboarding, which simulates the feeling of drowning. After all, two prominent members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation – Trey Gowdy and Senator Tim Scott have both endorsed Rubio.

In a statement issued by his campaign minutes after Cruz’s comments Wednesday, Trump pointed to the Cruz campaign’s tactics in Iowa, where staffers inaccurately portrayed Ben Carson as dropping out of the race while caucus-goers were still voting.

Trump has continued to dominate the next two Republican contests, however, according to a pair of CNN/ORC polls released this week.

Mrs Haley gained national prominence after shootings last June at a predominantly black Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina, which left nine people dead. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen.

Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a “cease and desist letter” demanding it drop the ad. “File the lawsuit”, Cruz, a lawyer, told reporters on Wednesday, adding that he would depose the billionaire himself.

“For that particular venture, I may not use outside counsel, I may take the deposition myself”, Cruz bragged in a press conference in SC, three days ahead of the GOP primary there.

However, don’t expect this to take the momentum out of Trump’s campaign. The popular governor said she was tasked with identifying the best candidate as she surveyed the crowded GOP field. Given all the breath Trump has spent calling Ted Cruz a liar and threatening to sue him and insulting the Bushes, he has had scant attention for Rubio.

Rubio aides said the moves were aimed at bringing the campaign’s ad spending down to the level of its competitors in SC, not a sign of financial troubles or an indication that the Florida senator was lowering expectations in the state. “Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake”, the Texas senator warned. “I see the people that are relaxed about this whole thing and I think they’re going to come out of the woodwork”.

Still, the poll shows significant fissures within the Republican Party. “We were excited when we got the word that this was a real possibility”, Rubio said after bagging Haley’s endorsement. Only one-third said they are open to switching alliances.

Introducing Sanders to hundreds of students, Garner said her father’s death “inspired me to seek out elected officials at every level of government who are committed to reforming our broken system”.