Some South Carolina voters ready to support DeSantis, despite acknowledging Trump’s lead in state

By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Ron DeSantis is aiming to frame his presidential campaign as one that can best both GOP front-runner Donald Trump and former Gov. Nikki Haley in South Carolina, although some attendees at one of his three events said they felt the state’s votes were likely to go to Trump next month — no matter what happens. DeSantis spoke at a restaurant on Saturday just off one of the main thoroughfares of the coastal tourist mecca of Myrtle Beach. It was the first of DeSantis’ three-stop swing through South Carolina that reflects his decision to shift his presidential campaign away from New Hampshire just ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation Republican primary, in which it’s not expected that he will perform as strongly as in Iowa.