The first debate of the South Carolina’s gubernatorial race is set for Tuesday night, and it marks the beginning of crunch time for the only major political contest in the state this year.
Gov. Nikki Haley, one-time Tea Party favorite, is running for a second term against State Sen. Vincent Sheheen in a rematch of the 2010 election. Haley won her first term by only four percent of the vote.
Not only is she part of the majority party in the state, Haley also has the “incumbency advantage.” Absent a reason for her to be voted out, voters will probably re-elect her to another term.
Sheheen must convince voters why they should vote against Haley, not necessarily for him. For her part, Haley has touted her record and largely ignored Sheheen. As a result, this election has become a referendum on Haley.
Haley’s campaign this cycle is focused on job creation, despite the fact that unemployment rate in South Carolina ranks above the national average.
The governor has been investigated twice for ethics violations by the Republican-led House Ethics Committee. She was investigated by the SC State Ethics Commission. She was forced to reimburse the state almost $10,000 for unethical travel. She has been accused by the independent candidate in the race of a massive bribery scandal.
Haley has refused to expand Medicaid for free, leaving thousands of South Carolinians without healthcare. She signed a racial profiling immigration law similar to the one in Arizona, only to have it ruled unconstitutional. She signed a voter ID law that will disenfranchise voters.
After the South Carolina Department of Revenue had their credit information hacked, Haley was forced to admit her administration didn’t do enough to protect taxpayer data. ABC News found that Haley’s Department of Social Services places children in dangerous situations. The directors of both agencies were forced to resign.
The problem for Sheheen is that, while all of these things are great for attack ads, he struggles to get his policy ideas across to voters. He has never held statewide office before and, for many voters, he is an unknown entity despite his run four years ago. While Haley has been able to build a national profile and is excellent at getting press, Sheheen’s latest press conference on the issue of the confederate flag was panned as a desperate attempt to get attention for a struggling campaign.
The fact that this race is competitive in a solid Republican state shows how weak Haley is. However, Sheheen must score big in the upcoming debates or hope for an October surprise, or else Haley will win another term despite being a terrible governor.