South Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Sanford endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for president at a Friday campaign event in Charleston, less than one day before the state’s primary.
The endorsement could give Cruz the edge he needs in the first-in-the-South primary. While Donald Trump still has a substantial lead in the state, Cruz is neck-and-neck with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for second place.
Sanford was a popular governor in South Carolina, and weathered a scandal in office to win a congressional seat two years later.
Sanford’s endorsement comes two days after Rubio earned a key endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
TPM’s PollTracker Average shows Trump polling at 33.5 percent in South Carolina, with Rubio at 18.1 percent and Cruz at 17.6 percent.
