MEG KINNARD 哥伦比亚，南卡罗来纳州 —— 从纸面上看，南卡罗来纳州似乎是民主党人聚集为中期选举候选人助选的一个奇怪选择。共和党主导该州政治，今年这种局面几乎不可能改变。
MEG KINNARD COLUMBIA, S.C. — On paper, South Carolina might be an odd place for Democrats to converge to campaign for midterm candidates . Republicans dominate state politics, and there’s slim chance of that changing this year.
但南卡罗来纳州也是民主党下一轮总统提名程序的首个州，因此白宫竞选者正在寻找任何借口前来造势。
But South Carolina is also the first state in Democrats’ next presidential nominating process , so White House hopefuls are looking for any excuse they can find to pop over.
在未来几周内，五位被认为正在考虑2028年竞选的民主党人——加利福尼亚州众议员罗·康纳、肯塔基州州长安迪·贝希尔、亚利桑那州参议员马克·凯利、伊利诺伊州州长J·B·普里兹克和资深民主党政客拉姆·伊曼纽尔——将在此巡回助选。
In the next few weeks, five Democrats who are believed to be mulling 2028 campaigns — California Rep. Ro Khanna, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and longtime Democratic politico Rahm Emanuel — will be stumping here.
这还不包括近期前交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格、加利福尼亚州州长加文·纽森、亚利桑那州参议员鲁本·加列戈、新泽西州参议员科里·布克和马里兰州州长韦斯·摩尔的访问。
That’s on top of recent visits from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The travel itineraries show that even though there are five weeks until the midterms, the next presidential cycle is already underway.
这些行程安排表明，尽管距离中期选举还有五周，但下一轮总统竞选周期已经启动。
The travel itineraries show that even though there are five weeks until the midterms, the next presidential cycle is already underway.
康纳将于周四起在南卡罗来纳州停留数天。大致同一时间，贝希尔将在奥兰治堡和查尔斯顿为候选人助选，并将与众议员吉姆·克莱伯恩——一位长期的民主党实权人物——探讨他的新书。
Khanna returns to South Carolina for several days starting Thursday. Around the same time, Beshear will stump with candidates in Orangeburg and Charleston, and he’ll discuss his new book with Rep. Jim Clyburn , a longtime Democratic kingmaker.
凯利的行程与此有重叠，他将于周五开始为期两天的巡回行程，计划为参议院候选人安妮·安德鲁斯等人助选。一周后，普里兹克将为当地全美有色人种协进会（NAACP）的筹款晚宴担任主讲嘉宾。
There’s overlap with Kelly, who starts a two-day swing on Friday and plans to campaign for candidates such as Senate nominee Annie Andrews . A week later, Pritzker is set to headline a fundraising dinner for the local NAACP.
就在10月13日提前投票开始前几天，伊曼纽尔——前众议员、奥巴马总统时期的白宫幕僚长、芝加哥市长和前驻日大使——在南卡罗来纳州安排了满满的日程。他将在多所大学校园与学生对话，并与包括州长候选人杰梅因·约翰逊在内的候选人公开亮相。
And just days before early voting kicks off on Oct. 13, Emanuel — the former congressman, White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama, Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan — has a packed South Carolina schedule. He’s talking to students on several college campuses and appearing with candidates including gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson.
埃马纽尔的顾问表示，他还将与数十位牧师会面，并与2015年查尔斯顿“伊曼纽尔非裔卫理公会教堂”枪击案中遇难者的部分教区居民进行社区对话。
Emanuel’s advisers said he will also meet with dozens of pastors, as well as participate in a community conversation with some parishioners affected by the deadly 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston.
南卡罗来纳州一直以来在两党的初选日程中都处于靠前位置，但民主党最近巩固了其在首位的地位。
South Carolina has always been early in the primary calendar for both parties, but Democrats recently solidified its place at the front of the line.
来自该州的民主党全国委员会成员布雷·麦克斯韦尔表示，造访该州能让候选人了解他们的主张在关键选民中能获得多少支持。
Bre Maxwell, a Democratic National Committee member from the state, said visiting allows candidates to see how their pitch lands with key voters.
“他们打着‘嘿，我要来南卡罗来纳州帮助支持这位候选人’的旗号，同时与各方人士进行一对一会晤，为他们可能在2028年采取的行动铺路，”麦克斯韦尔说。“‘我有多少支持者，有多少人喜欢我，有多少人不喜欢我？’” 一位近期不打算来访的人是前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯。自4月以来，她就没有去过南卡罗来纳州，当时她参加了一个党内筹款活动，并随行宣传她的新书，书中回顾了2024年那场旋风般的总统竞选。
“They’re doing it under the guise of, ‘Hey, I’m gonna come to South Carolina, help support this candidate,’ while also having one-off meetings with people to build for what they possibly may do in ‘28,” Maxwell said. “‘How much support do I have, how many people like me, how many people don’t like me?’” One person who isn’t due to visit soon is former Vice President Kamala Harris. She hasn’t been to South Carolina since April, when she participated in a party fundraiser alongside a tour for her book recounting the whirlwind 2024 presidential campaign.
但哈里斯在该州拥有深厚的人脉关系，这意味着她不像其他仍在积累知名度的人那样，需要那么早或那么频繁地来访。
But Harris’ deep relations in the state mean she doesn’t need to come as early or as often as others, who are still gaining name recognition.
共和党的提名程序仍将从爱荷华州党团会议开始，但南卡罗来纳州将举行该党在南部的首场初选。
Republicans’ nominating process will still start with the Iowa caucuses, but South Carolina will hold the party’s first southern primary.
由于唐纳德·特朗普总统因宪法限制无法竞选第三任期，其他共和党人已开始试探水温。德克萨斯州参议员泰德·克鲁兹前来为州检察长艾伦·威尔逊助选，后者随后赢得了该党的州长提名。梅格·金纳德可通过以下方式联系：
With President Donald Trump constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term, other Republicans are starting to test the waters. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came to stump with Attorney General Alan Wilson before he won the party’s nomination for governor . Meg Kinnard can be reached at