2010 South Carolina Governor - Haley vs. Sheheen

10/14/10 -- There's some polling evidence that suggests that the race may be tightening, although two of the polls were commissioned by a Democratic polling firm.  Haley has taken some lumps on her family's finances, but is still the favorite here.

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This may go down as one of the tawdriest races in history. Governor Mark Sanford is term-limited, his two terms marred by the sex scandal that nearly brought down his administration. A crowded GOP field ran to succeed him in this heavily Republican state, and as the primary neared, Nikki Haley emerged as the Republican frontrunner.

But then Haley was hit by allegations by a blogger that she had had an affair with him. A second South Carolina Republican later claimed to have had a one-night stand with Haley at a Republican convention.

The allegations didn’t seem particularly credible, and didn’t stick. Haley won by a landslide in the runoff election. In the general election, she’ll face off against state Senator Vincent Shaheen, whose path to the nomination was considerably less controversial. It would still take something significant to derail Haley’s ascent in this heavily Republican state.