The Scoop
SFA Fund, the main pro-Nikki Haley super PAC, launched a new ad on Wednesday hitting Donald Trump on immigration that will run across South Carolina through the primary.
The ad, called “Donation,” homes in on Trump’s past donations to now-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2011 and 2013, contrasting his actions then with an immigration crackdown bill Haley signed in South Carolina that resulted in pushback from the Obama administration. It ends by urging voters to turn out for the South Carolina primary on Saturday, where Haley trails Trump in polling.
“Donald Trump’s latest attack: A big fat lie,” a voiceover in the ad, shown first to Semafor, says. “The truth? Donald Trump donated to Kamala Harris when Nikki Haley was passing America’s toughest immigration law.”
SFA Fund’s ad is the latest in a battle about immigration, which has increasingly become a front-of-mind topic for voters across the country. In recent weeks, Trump’s team has attacked Haley on the issue, sending out a press release this week accusing the former South Carolina governor of being “weak on immigration,” citing comments critical of his Muslim ban in the 2016 cycle and pushing back on labeling undocumented immigrants “criminals.”
In a statement, SFA Fund Spokesperson Preya Samsundar accused Trump of continuing “to lie about Nikki Haley’s record on immigration and border security to try and sidestep his own shortcomings as president.”
Notable
Nikki Haley pledged to remain in the race past South Carolina in an emotional speech on Tuesday in Greenville. Semafor’s David Weigel reports on her case to continue taking on Trump, despite little sign of hope for victory.