Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is planning an all-out blitz of South Carolina later this month as he sets the table for his likely presidential campaign, Republican sources familiar with the itinerary told CNN.
Walker, riding high in some early GOP polls, has already spent considerable time courting voters and hiring staff in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two lead-off states in the presidential nominating process.
But he has not set foot in South Carolina, the first nominating state in the south and a crucial test of conservative support for Republican candidates, since late 2013.
The two-day swing on March 19 and 20 will take Walker through almost every important media market in the state, a rare effort for candidates, who usually build their visits around one or two cities at a time.
Walker will headline four “grassroots” fundraisers for the South Carolina Republican Party in Columbia, Greenville, Rock Hill and Charleston.
During his trip, Walker is also planning to meet with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, an ally from the Republican Governors Association, during his trip, sources said.
The governor was last in South Carolina in August 2013 to help Haley launch her successful 2014 re-election bid.
Walker will conclude his southern foray with a speech to a banquet in Florence benefiting the NRA Foundation, a fundraising group associated with the National Rifle Association.