Politics & Government

Nikki Haley Makes Re-Election Bid

Governor kicks off campaign with rally in Greenville, joined by fellow governors and possible presidential candidates.

Gov. Nikki Haley made it official on Monday, announcing her re-election campaign at a rally at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, surrounded by a few hundred supporters, a group of sign-waving protesters, and three fellow Republican governors who might just be planning a run for president.

With U.S. Sen. Tim Scott acting as emcee, and a large gathering of state Republican leaders and politicians in attendance, Haley was joined on stage in front of a massive American flag by Govs. Rick Perry of Texas, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

Perry reminded the crowd of Haley's prowess in recruiting jobs and manufacturing to the state, saying South Carolina has become a formidable competitor to his own state.

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Walker, who has made national headlines for his union-busting efforts, gave Haley her bonafides in that same area, noting her efforts to fight the National Labor Relations Board and saving and creating jobs at the state's massive Boeing manufacturing plant in North Charleston.

And Jindal, like Haley a fellow Indian-American, praised the governor in general, saying sometimes it “takes an outsider to come in and remind folks what a great job their governor is doing.”

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While several dozen sign-waving protesters organized by the AFL-CIO and the S.C. Democratic Women's Council demonstrated on a parking deck overlooking the stage, Haley came out to heavy applause to address the crowd.

She was quick to thank the demonstrators for showing up, and just as quick to remind them that her husband, Michael, currently deployed in Afghanistan with the S.C. National Guard, was overseas defending their right to protest.

From there, Haley touted her record as governor, including championing tort and ethics reform, new voter ID laws, and her refusal to bow to Obamacare by not implementing healthcare exchanges or Medicaid expansion called for in the controversial law.

She spent a good deal of her speech touting her jobs record, reminding the crowd that outlets such as the Wall Street Journal have called the state the nation's new leader in resurrecting the manufacturing sector.

While the state's jobless rate remains a relatively high 8.1 percent, Haley said that under her leadership, the state has announced 37,500 new jobs in 45 of the state's 46 counties.

As Haley ended her short speech and was joined on stage by her children, with Tom Petty's "American Girl" playing on the loudspeakers, demonstrators in the audience remained unimpressed with the governor.

Alice Sullivan, a 69-year-old retiree from Aiken, told Patch that Haley is merely the tool of corporate interests, personified by the billionaire Koch brothers and the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, aka ALEC.

"I know from personal experience that she lies, and I'm sick and tired of big money [in politics]," Sullivan said. "Also, she keeps talking about jobs. She has never once mentioned the salaries of those jobs. She's bringing them in here because she's telling [corporations] she's proud that there will never be unions in South Carolina. The Koch brothers and their buddies are going to own this state, lock, stock and barrel.

"I'm sick and tired of being railroaded, and I can't believe people can't see through this BS, especially the people who aren't millionaires, and there's a bunch of us. They're doing away with education, they're doing away with healthcare, almost every issue," Sullivan said.

The union issue is particularly galling to Rob Gross of Summerville, too. 

"I'm here to protest because all four of these governors have records of campaigning against labor unions," Gross said. "Haley wants to be called the union-buster; while we're the union thugs. What they fail to understand is that by being so anti-union in a right-to-work state, we have the third-lowest union membership among the 50 states, but we have the third-lowest income of all 50 states, too."

Elaine Cooper, a Columbia Democrat, said she mingled with Haley supporters and noted that one woman turned to her and noted that the turnout for Haley was less than she had anticipated.

"She said, 'do you notice there is so few people here. Do you think that indicates we're in trouble?'' Cooper said. "I said, oh yes ma'am. All the rest of us are not going to put up with that [BS]."

Though he hasn't officially announced his candidacy yet, the gubernatorial race is shaping up to be a replay of the last, pitting Haley against Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, who lost by less than five percentage points to Haley in the 2010 election.

Charleston Democratic Rep. Leon Stavrinakis responded to Governor Haley's announcement that she is running for reelection and gave a nod to Sheheen with this statement:

"Charleston and the entire low country needs a governor committed to our port and the jobs it represents. Nikki Haley sold us out to Savannah, and the people of Charleston won’t ever forget it. Vincent Sheheen is committed to the port of Charleston, to creating jobs, and to preserving the quality of life we enjoy here. Vincent has assured me of this personally and, unlike Nikki Haley, I know from experience that he will keep his word.”


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