MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Republican campaign for South Carolina turned deeply personal on the eve of Saturday’s high-stakes presidential primary, as New York businessman Donald Trump eyed a delegate sweep and his Republican rivals jockeyed for a Southern surprise.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the son of a pastor, evoked “the body of Christ” in his closing message while fending off allegations of “dirty tricks” in a state where most Republicans identify as evangelical Christians. At the same time, Trump allies took subtle shots at Pope Francis for questioning the Republican front-runner’s devotion to Christian principles. Ohio Gov. John Kasich continued hugging supporters, while Jeb Bush turned to his mother to help revive his underdog campaign.
Friday marked an emotionally charged day in the Republican presidential contest amid a growing sense of urgency. South Carolina offers the six candidates still in the race a trove of 50 delegates — and perhaps more importantly, momentum to help survive into the next phase of the campaign: March 1’s Super Tuesday.
On the other side of the country, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders competed for votes ahead of Saturday’s Democratic caucuses in Nevada.
“Guess what? There’s a caucus here in Nevada! We are here to win,” Sanders said at a rally in sparsely populated Elko.
Back in South Carolina, Trump appeared to hold a commanding lead less than 24 hours before voting began. With a big win, the billionaire businessman could take home most, if not all, of the state’s delegates. Such a victory would mark a particularly painful blow to Cruz, whose consistent focus on Christian values and Southern roots should have given him a distinct advantage here.
As the undisputed Republican front-runner, Trump was a popular target in the final-hours’ scramble for votes.
“Trump values are not South Carolina values,” the state’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, charged during a Charleston rally for Bush. Former first lady Barbara Bush had this to say about her son’s values: “He’s steady. He’s honest. He is modest. He is kind, and he is good.”
Trump’s campaign tried to brush off an extraordinary criticism from Pope Francis the day before. When asked about Trump’s call to build a massive wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said those who seek to build walls instead of bridges are not Christian.
Trump called the pope’s words “disgraceful” on Thursday, but offered a distinctly softer jab as he courted South Carolina voters on Friday.
“Yesterday, the pope was great,” Trump told an audience in Myrtle Beach. “They had him convinced that illegal immigration was like a wonderful thing. Not wonderful for us. It’s wonderful for Mexico.”
Campaigning in the same city, Cruz tried to take advantage of the spiritual spat by highlighting his own religious devotion.
“Every minute that you’re not on the phone calling friends and loved ones, spend beseeching God, praying for this country, that this spirit of revival that is sweeping this country continue and grow, and that we awaken the body of Christ,” the Texas senator said.
Cruz faced new questions about a website his campaign created this week featuring a photo of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shaking hands with President Barack Obama. Cruz’s team acknowledged the photo was manufactured using a computer program.
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant warned South Carolina voters in an email to be on the lookout for “dirty tricks” from Cruz, charging that the Texas senator “will do anything to stop Marco Rubio’s momentum.”
