Greenville County GOP celebrates former President Donald Trump's win in South Carolina

About 30 people gathered to watch the results of the Republican presidential primary Saturday at the Greenville County Republican Party headquarters on Wade Hampton Boulevard.

After the Associated Press called the race within minutes after the polls closed at 7 p.m., voters erupted into cheers for the former president. As of 10:28 p.m. Saturday, Trump had 60% or 406,122 votes, and Haley had 39.3% or 266,213 votes.

"This is the shortest watch party ever,” joked Yvonne Julian, chairwoman of GCGOP.

Most voters cast a vote for former President Donald Trump. Issues brought up during the night were immigration, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the economy.

As former governor and presidential hopeful Haley gave her speech in Charleston, Greenville folks viewed from a large television screen at the GOP headquarters. They heckled as they watched on a television screen and blared Haley's words. Viewers were in high spirits.

"Does anyone want to cheer for Nimarata?" Harrison Musselwhite, 58, said, referring to Haley's birth name. People booed in response. "I didn't think so."

Musselwhite is the chairman of the Greenville County GOP Legislative Committee and chairman of the South Carolina Liberty Coalition.

Out of the candidates, Greenville County Republican Party 4th Vice President Griffin Callahan considered businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump. Never Nikki, though, he says.

"I really just think that South Carolina voters see through her," Callahan says. His concerns about the war in both Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas concern him. He does not think Haley, former U.N. ambassador, can address them.

Musselwhite echoes these concerns, saying that he believes Trump will end the war in Ukraine on "day one." He also believes President Joe Biden was not elected, but "installed," repeating the theory that the 2020 election was stolen.

"Joe Biden was installed in the White House, just like a toilet, and he's been flushing America down that toilet ever since. And we're sick of it," Musselwhite said.

Julian said people look forward to Greenville GOP's parties as a way to come together after working hard. Many in the GOP party knocked on doors or phone banked for the former president, which Julian clarifies is something that would be done for "any candidate."

"It's just a way to engage people and then to reward our people who work so hard. We typically only hang out with each other like a lot of business meetings. So we look for, you know, any kind of chance to celebrate, and this is a big victory," Julian said.

Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on 'X' @savmoss.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County GOP holds watch party as they celebrate Trump's win