2018 GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MEETS WITH DONALD TRUMP IN NEW YORK …
Catherine Templeton – the Lowcountry labor lawyer who served in two different cabinet positions under S.C. governor Nikki Haley – is under consideration for a cabinet-level position in the incoming administration in Washington, D.C.
Templeton met in New York this week with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who is reportedly considering her for the post of secretary of labor.
Will she get it?
Good question. Several sources close to Trump’s transition have offered vastly different views on Templeton’s prospects for this position – to say nothing of her prospects of getting confirmed.
One thing is clear: If Templeton doesn’t get the job, she will run for governor of South Carolina in 2018 – even if that means going head-to-head with Trump ally Henry McMaster. McMaster is currently in line to become South Carolina’s 117th governor – assuming Haley is confirmed to her cabinet-level post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
If that happens, he will enter the 2018 campaign as the incumbent – likely affording him a sizable fundraising advantage.
Of course we’ve spoken with several of Templeton’s top donors who tell us they remain committed to her candidacy – even if it involves her running against McMaster.
Another likely 2018 prospect – U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney – has already been offered a top post within the Trump administration. Meanwhile U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy – who was rumored to be part of a 2018 gubernatorial ticket with U.S. Senator Tim Scott – has his eye on a judicial appointment from Trump.
If the incoming president were to peg Templeton as his labor secretary, he would have effectively cleared the 2018 gubernatorial field in South Carolina for McMaster.
This website has written extensively – and for the most part positively – about Templeton. We believe she has tremendous potential as an elected official – and her prior consideration for top national appointments attests to her capabilities.
Templeton is also an exceedingly skilled messenger who is exceedingly easy on the eyes (as this recent pic in The New York Times attests).
“She’s probably the best looking woman you’ll ever see in this business yet the minute she leaves the room all everybody talks about is how smart she is,” one Palmetto politico recently observed.
Not a bad compliment …
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