Haley Looks to Avoid Runoff

In the South Carolina gubernatorial race, Nikki Haley will almost certainly win the GOP nomination despite allegations of marital infidelity. The only question for her is whether she can win it without a runoff.

In the South Carolina gubernatorial race, Nikki Haley will almost certainly win the GOP nomination despite allegations of marital infidelity.  Public Policy Polling released a new poll yesterday that shows Haley running well ahead of her next closest challenger, Gresham Barrett.  The poll numbers suggest that the allegations against her don’t seem to be sticking.  The poll has Haley winning 43% of primary votes while her opponents, Gresham Barrett, Henry McMaster, and Andre Bauer draw 23%, 16%, and 12% respectively. PPP finds that 54% of primary voters do not believe the rumors about Haley at all, while 33% aren’t sure.  Only 13% of primary voters said they believed the rumors.

One thing worth noting, as Haley appears poised to become the GOP nominee is that if it comes out at some point that some of the rumors surrounding Haley are true, it is a game changer.  PPP found that 42% of surveyed voters said they thought Haley should drop out of the race completely if the charges are true. But at this point, it appears that whether the allegations prove true or not, Haley will be the GOP candidate for governor of South Carolina.  The only question is whether she will win the nomination outright tonight, or win it in a runoff.