Haley Campaign Press Release - Charleston's Next Mayor William Cogswell Endorses Nikki Haley in GOP Primary Race

By: Caitlin Byrd
Online here

Charleston's next mayor isn't in office yet, but he has already picked a favorite in the 2024 Republican presidential race.

William Cogswell quickly gave his endorsement to fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley during a Nov. 28 appearance on Fox News.

"I've got to go with her," the mayor-elect said without hesitation. "She's been an incredible governor."

While the Charleston City Hall races are non-partisan, last week Cogswell became the city's first Republican mayor since the mid-1870s when he narrowly defeated incumbent John Tecklenburg, a Democrat, in the Nov. 19 runoff election.

The campaign declined to provide additional comment or make Cogswell available for an interview about his sudden endorsement of Haley.

But during his interview on "Fox & Friends First," Cogswell said Haley was someone he was honored to serve under when he was first elected to the state House of Representatives as a Republican in 2016. They overlapped briefly during his first year in Columbia.

He said Haley is someone who brings "pragmatic solutions."

"Again, pragmatic solutions to not just our state, but our country's growing issues," Cogswell said, adding, "And I think she's got a good disposition and is just a good person."

In January, Cogswell will take office as the leader of South Carolina's most populous city. In the past, its voters have been solidly Democratic.

Cogswell's comments, which he made during an early morning interview from his living room, came toward the end of a 3-minute, 33-second interview.

The first portion focused squarely on his victory in the Charleston mayoral race. The interview then quickly veered into red versus blue.

At one point, host Todd Piro asked Cogswell if his victory was a "rejection of these Democrat policies of division." He later asked if the race showed that Republicans could win if they run on a unifying message.

"Absolutely," Cogswell replied, adding, "I think that if you focus again on pragmatic solutions to problems, that's what voters want to hear. And that's certainly what we found here in Charleston. As I tell people, these potholes aren't partisan. They just want things to be running smoothly."

According to public data from the Federal Elections Commission, Cogswell's wife, Lucille, has maxed out individual contributions to Haley's presidential campaign, giving a combined $6,600 in March.

Cogswell will be sworn into office in January, about a month before the South Carolina Republican presidential primary takes place on Feb. 24.