Hey guys, welcome to the Lean to the Left podcast and the March 2023 episode of the Dixie Dems with my partners, Arthur Hill, from North Carolina, and Robert Thompson, from Georgia.

Arthur is communications chair of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, Democratic party. Robert Thompson is based in Atlanta and founded Peach News Now and its opinion podcast, Got Damn Liberals, which is worth a listen.

Me…I’m based in South Carolina, home of GOP Trump acolytes, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, one of whom got wiped out in his bid for the 2016 GOP Presidential nomination and the other for whom a similar fate awaits in 2024.

Today, we take a look at what’s happening politically in our three states as well as nationwide…

One of the highlights of this episode is a discussion about the presidential candidacy of Nikki Haley, former SC governor and UN ambassador in the Trump administration. Arthur Hill says Haley "scares" him and predicts she will rise in the polls to become a serious contender for the Republican nomination, even though she's currently in the low single digits in the national polls.

"I think she's only four or 5% in the polls, but that's because most people don't know who she is," Hill says, "but I think she, has the ability to rise in the polls. I don't know. And, I think Trump's in free fall. I don't see him being as big a factor in the primaries as he has been in the past."

About Haley, Hill adds, "To be perfectly honest, she scares me. She's, intelligent. She's she's attractive. She represents a clear alternative to Trump and DeSantis. And I think Pence isn't going anywhere. So I, think that if Republicans who are looking for somebody to ally with that are repelled by Trump and DeSantis, you've got Nikki Haley standing out there waiting in the wings to to increase her popularity.

"And, it's really early that not too many people outside of South Carolina know about Nikki Haley and even though she's got a track record. She's a governor, she's a former ambassador to the UN. So she's got chief executive chops and she's got international relations chops.

"I think once the word starts getting out around her I, let me be clear. I'm not supporting Nikki Haley for President , but but I am saying that I think she could be a formidable candidate in a general election." There's much more in this episode, with discussions about "anti-woke" initiatives in numerous states, prospects for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and much more.

Take a listen.