Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Haley, Barrett Head to Runoff
* June 8, 2010, 9:57 PM ET

By Susan Davis

Nikki Haley and Rep. Gresham Barrett will face off in a June 22 runoff election for the Republican nomination in South Carolina’s
gubernatorial race after none of the candidates in the five-way race passed the 50% threshold to win Tuesday’s primary.

Haley, a state representative, led the field with 48.8% with 90% of precincts reporting. Barrett had 21.5%.

She has been the front-runner in the race heading in to Tuesday’s primary, despite allegations of
extramarital affairs by two men that clouded her campaign’s message in the closing two weeks of the
race. She firmly denied the allegations, and pledged publicly that she would resign if ever proven true.

The allegations played a large role in turning what had been a relatively tame intra-
party battle into a more bitterly contestedfight in the closing days. Barrett told reporters
at his campaign headquarters Monday that he had “never been in a race this ugly before.”

Haley is popular among the national Republican establishment and earned endorsements from Jenny Sanford, the ex-wife of
term-limited Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Gresham was endorsed by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The winner of the run-off will be favored to win this November against state
Sen. Vincent Shaheen, who handily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.

Haley is Indian-American. She would be the first woman, and the
first non-white, governor in South Carolina if she wins this November.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/06/08/haley-barrett-head-to-june-runoff/