Polls in Greenville, SC, steady all day as GOP voter enthusiasm leans towards Trump

Saturday, Feb. 24, a few hours before the polls closed on South Carolina’s Primary Election Day, the chair of the Greenville County Republican Party said voter turnout was steady all day, with most people stopping into the headquarters asking for Trump signs, posters and flags — pointing to an overwhelming amount of support for the former president over GOP opponent and former S.C. governor Nikki Haley.

As South Carolina held the first-in-the-South primary election Saturday, Feb. 24, News 13 was in Greenville talking to voters at various polling locations to get a feel for voter turnout and who they were standing behind — former President Donald Trump or former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Things went just as Greenville County Republican Party Chair Yvonne Julian thought they would — just seconds after polls across the state closed at 7 p.m. Trump was called the projected winner by The Associated Press and ABC.

Donald Trump Wins South Carolina Primary as Results Called Moments After Polls Close

“I think, consistent to what polling shows,” Julian said earlier Saturday, “President Trump will be the victor tonight in South Carolina.”

Julian said overall, voters showed up to the Greenville County Republican Party Headquarters all day asking for Trump signs, Trump posters, and Trump flags.

“I’ve gone online and watched a lot of videos where (Nikki Haley) had said one thing as governor and another thing during her race. I know it’s politics, but that does bother me,” said South Carolina voter Emily Holland.

“I think she has a lot of things that she stands for that are good, and I think she did a great job as South Carolina governor,” South Carolina voter Brayden Holland said. “I just don’t think that she has the same chance that other candidates have in winning in the actual election.”

Polls Opened at 7 a.m.

Polls opened Saturday at 7 a.m., and Julian said turnout was steady all day. There didn’t seem to be any major issues at the polls Saturday in the Upstate, though some voters had trouble finding the correct location to cast their ballot. The confusion over polling places happened, Julian said, because of election consolidation. Some of the polling locations moved, meaning some voters had to call to find out where to vote.

Despite Haley’s South Carolina Roots

Despite South Carolina being Nikki Haley’s home state and where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017, the visible support overwhelmingly fell with Trump throughout the day, and the final results backed that up. Republican voters in South Carolina have a near-perfect record when it comes to picking the candidate that goes on to become the party’s nominee.