COMMENTARY | U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley showed their support for Mitt Romney after the ABC/Yahoo! News presidential debate by manning the spin room to tout Romney's candidacy to the press.
Haley was endorsed by Romney in 2010, according to her gubernatorial campaign site. She returned the favor by endorsing him for president and by campaigning with him in New Hampshire and back home.
A tea party favorite, her support was critical. Before Christmas, Newt Gingrich was leading South Carolina polls, according to RealClearPolitics, by 12 to 17 points. Romney now leads by 10.6 points, a remarkable turnaround in a state expected to go for a social conservative rather than a Massachusetts moderate.
When asked whether Romney could maintain his lead, Haley responded, "I know in the end he's going to do very well in South Carolina. He's going to do very well in South Carolina because he cares about the things that South Carolinians care about. And that's jobs and getting the federal government out of the way."
Asked whether a Romney loss in the South Carolina primary would injure her politically, she quickly became serious: "I am not worried about me. What I'm worried about is the future of this country. I know I want him to win South Carolina," she declared, "and I'm going to ensure that I do everything to make that happen.
The junior senator from New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte, has been an enthusiastic supporter of Romney. She has proved to be a hard campaign worker, appearing with him at numerous campaign events across the Granite State. Romney has even mentioned her as a possible running mate, according to the Huffington Post.
Saying Romney delivered a very strong performance, she declared him the "clear winner" of the debate.
"Tonight, no one laid a hand on him and he was able to articulate a very strong vision for America," she said, "and I think that will really appeal to Republican voters."
When asked whether Romney would score a big victory in New Hampshire, Ayotte claimed he has the strongest grass-roots organization in the Granite State.
"I've seen the enthusiasm of the crowd," she said. "I was with him in Derry and there was over a thousand people there and I think that shows you he has the people to get the vote out on Tuesday."
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