Horry County popular with Republican presidential candidates

The presidential primary is nearly a year away, but Horry County residents already have had the opportunity to rub elbows with a number of hopefuls – and experts say that trend will continue through February.

Within the past three months, five people who have considered running for the Republican presidential nomination have stopped through Horry County.

Businessman Donald Trump has visited Horry County twice in the past three months; declared presidential candidate Texas Sen. Ted Cruz stopped through the S.C. Tea Party Convention in January, along with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and neurologist Ben Carson. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was in town last month.

Members of the Horry County Republican Party say candidates recognize the importance of reaching voters on the Grand Strand.

Russell Fry, state executive committeeman, said Horry County has one of the highest concentrations of Republican voters in the state.

“Coming here gets them exposed to the people in the county,” Fry said.

Rick Tyler, spokesman for Cruz’s presidential campaign, said that South Carolina being among the first states with primaries or caucuses is a draw for potential candidates. Cruz declared his intent to run for president last month and was in Horry County in January for the Myrtle Beach Tea Party Convention.

“[South Carolina] is one of the three first states that essentially serve as a vetting process for both the Republican and Democratic parties,” Tyler said. “[The S.C. primary] is the southern Republican base.”

South Carolina’s primary is scheduled for Feb. 20.

Adam Chamberlain, a politics professor at Coastal Carolina University, said Horry County specifically can be a draw for potential Republican candidates.

“Horry County is special in a sense because of its unique environment,” he said. “Because of the transplants from the Northeast, for example, if Donald Trump were to decide to run, it might help him in the primary.”

Chamberlain said Republicans in particular spend so much time in South Carolina because it’s a conservative state.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who announced his intent to run for president last week, visited Horry County in October. Paul and Cruz have visited South Carolina, though not Horry County, since announcing their plans to run.

Right before last year’s gubernatorial election, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal visited Horry County to help Gov. Nikki Haley campaign.

“[Florida Sen.] Marco Rubio and [Wisconsin Gov.] Scott Walker haven’t been here yet, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Fry said.

Joan Furlong, president of the Horry County Democratic Party, said she expects candidates to visit Myrtle Beach and Horry County as the presidential race heats up. Democrat Hillary Clinton is expected to announce Sunday that she will run for president.

“Given Horry County’s importance due to its population growth, we absolutely expect to see presidential candidates come through town before the primary in February,” she said.

Fry said the HCGOP is working to bring all Republicans who said they are considering running for president to the county.

“From our perspective, within the local party here, we think it’s important to get the potential candidates in front of the voters here,” Fry said. “The voters can come to see them and meet them in person.”

Chamberlain said Republican presidential hopefuls come to South Carolina because the voters who are involved in the primary process are generally the activist base of the party.

“If you can win some of them over, they’re also likely to donate,” he said. “If [a candidate] can link support in South Carolina and support in Iowa and New Hampshire, it could really help them.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Horry County popular with Republican presidential candidates."