Newly-Elected South Carolina GOP Chair To Presidential Contenders: Endorse The Ryan Plan

Newly-Elected South Carolina GOP Chair To Presidential Contenders: Endorse The Ryan Plan Or Lose Primary

On Saturday, South Carolina Republicans elected a new chairman, Chad Connelly, who will play a hugely influential role in the state’s first-in-the-South presidential primary. Because only Republicans will be holding a contested presidential primary next year, Connelly and the state GOP will be tasked with holding and funding the vote in early 2012.

ThinkProgress spoke with Connelly this past weekend to get his thoughts about the presidential field and what role the Ryan budget, which ends Medicare and extends tax breaks for the wealthy, will play in the primary. Thus far, the leading Republican presidential contenders – including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – have kept the Ryan budget at arm’s length, praising Ryan for his “courage” and “leadership” but purposefully stopping short of endorsing the plan.

According to Connelly, this non-committal approach would not stand in the Palmetto State. When asked whether a candidate would be able to win the South Carolina primary if he or she doesn’t endorse the Ryan budget, Connelly argued “I don’t think so”

KEYES: Obviously the primary here in South Carolina is going to be a big issue and no one knows the ground game better than yourself. Do you think a candidate is going to be able to win the South Carolina primary if they do not endorse the Ryan budget?

CONNELLY: I don’t think so. That’s really getting some appeal among the conservatives, you’re going to see all of them talk to that I believe.

Watch it:

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/09/sc-gop-chair-endorse-ryan-plan/

A plan to end Medicare will play so well in the general election. We are in big trouble.

along. This will finally be the thing that proved saint raygun was right!!!!!

Run on that fucker, boyos.

in S.C. who could jump on this full throttle and turn
things around for the Democratic Party???

We need an energetic populist to help educate the state's people on how harmful that "plan" will be to them and their wallets.