Prominent Republicans in South Carolina are launching an effort to get GOP voters to support Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state’s upcoming Democratic primary, arguing that he poses the weakest threat to President Trump in the general election.

The effort, first reported by the Post and Courier, will be unveiled Thursday morning by Greenville GOP chairman Nate Leupp and two other Republican Party chairs who orchestrated the plan.

That plan has two goals: Boost the candidate the party believes will have the hardest time winning the state in November against Trump, and pressure Democrats to support their effort to have closed state primaries in the future.

South Carolina has open primaries, which means voters can participate in any primary without being required to register with a specific party.

For years, GOP activists have pushed for the state to switch to closed primaries, with many arguing it would guarantee a purer party process. This effort is the latest step in their attempt to get Democrats to join their cause.

“Bernie Sanders is the most socialistic, liberal candidate running in the Democratic presidential preference primary. So we feel we can make a strong point that our Democratic state legislators need to help work to close our primaries so it protects them as well as the Republican brand,” Leupp told the Post and Courier of his efforts.

“People have been waiting and waiting for 2020 to come along to vote for Trump, and now they can’t,” Leupp said, referencing the state GOP’s decision to cancel their primary.

“But they can still help Trump. And it helps the Upstate’s cause of registration by party and closed primaries, so it’s a win-win for any conservative Republican.”

While local party leaders are taking their efforts public, the state Republican Party isn’t getting on board.

“We do not like Democrats meddling in our primaries and we certainly do not encourage the same thing from Republican voters. While there are some groups and Republican activists that may decide to participate in the open Democratic Presidential Preference Primary on February 29th, the South Carolina Republican Party has taken no official stand on this matter nor will it encourage our members to do so,” South Carolina Republican Party executive director Hope Walker told the New York Post.

Former Vice President Joe Biden currently leads the Democratic field in South Carolina with 30.5 percent support, according to a Real Clear Politics average. Since entering the race, he has led the state by considerable margins.

Sanders (I-Vt.), while still in second place, lags behind with 17 percent support statewide.