Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who encouraged former President Donald Trump to declare martial law in order to remain in power, endorsed former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president on Wednesday.
"We are at a pivotal point in our nation," Norman said in a tweet. "While the Republican candidates, values, and messages have done very well here in South Carolina, that hasn't been the case everywhere across our great nation."
He added that it's "time for a reset and a new chapter in national Republican politics" and there's no better person to take on that responsibility than Haley.
Norman is the first South Carolina lawmaker to publicly back Haley's bid for presidency. They both served in the South Carolina State House starting in 2005, and Norman was the first public official to endorse her 2010 run for governor.
He has also been a supporter of Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 Electoral College results from Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021.
Three days before President Joe Biden was set to take office, Norman texted White House chief of Staff Mark Meadows encouraging Trump to invoke "Marshall Law" to investigate alleged election fraud as a last-ditch effort to help Trump remain in power, according to text messages reported by Talking Points Memo.
In comments to Fox News, Norman said that Trump was exactly who the Republican Party needed in 2016 because "Republicans had been marginalized" for too long, and Trump "reminded us how to fight what we believe".
"We're at a pivotal juncture, and most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership with a new vision at the top of the ticket. Nikki Haley has that vision, and she's going to be an outstanding President," Norman told Fox News.
He added that even as governor "everyone knew she was destined for bigger things."
Norman's endorsement for Haley comes a day after the former UN ambassador announced she is running for president, seeking the Republican nomination for the 2024 election.
Some Trump supporters aren't too happy with Norman's support for Haley and criticized his endorsement on Twitter.
"The same Nikki Hailey that kowtowed to Trump," one user responded. "The one that wants to cut Medicare and social security? The one that registered to vote as 'white' but now touts her ethnicity? That one?"
Another one accused Haley of turning on Trump.
"I will NEVER VOTE FOR HER!!" the user wrote. "Trump deserves the presidency -- IT WAS STOLEN FROM HIM; FROM ME!!! IN 2020!! She is dishonest and has zero integrity!!
One of Norman's followers even dismissed him as a "RINO" for backing Haley.
Another user poked fun at the way Norman infamously misspelled martial law saying: "Maybe we should just install her now through Marshall Law!! That's how elections work now, right?"
