2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election
The 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was term limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010, and a runoff election, as was necessary on the Republican side, was held two weeks later on June 22.
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  Haley:
40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Sheheen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in South Carolina |
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Republican Nikki Haley defeated Democrat Vincent Sheheen in the general election by a margin of 4.5%. As of 2022, this is the closest that the Democrats have come to winning the governorship of South Carolina since their last victory in 1998. This is the first open-seat election since 1994.
Republican primary
According to CNN, Haley initially entered the gubernatorial primary as a dark horse candidate. In an article covering her surge in the primary in the weeks prior to the election, it was noted that a "surprise" endorsement from former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin boosted Haley's candidacy. Haley's campaign was backed by TV ads run by ReformSC, an advocacy group funded by allies of outgoing governor Mark Sanford.[1]
Candidates
Nikki Haley
- Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican nomination[6]
- Former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), former Republican vice presidential candidate[7]
- Former First Lady of South Carolina Jenny Sanford[8]
- Republican Liberty Caucus
Gresham Barrett
- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney[9]
Henry McMaster
- Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani (R-NY), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican Nomination[10]
- Senator John McCain (R-AZ), former candidate for 2008 Presidential Election [10]
- Former Governor David Beasley (R-SC)[11]
André Bauer
- Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican nomination[12]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Henry McMaster |
Gresham Barrett |
André Bauer |
Nikki Haley |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 5–6, 2010 | 998 | ± 3.1% | 16% | 23% | 12% | 43% | -- | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | May 22–23, 2010 | 638 | ± 3.9% | 18% | 16% | 13% | 39% | -- | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 17, 2010 | 931 | ± 4.5% | 19% | 17% | 12% | 30% | 3% | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 21% | 14% | 17% | 12% | 9% | 29% |
| InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research () | December 16, 2009 | 371 | ± 5.1% | 22% | 9% | 22% | 13% | 6% | 28% |
Runoff
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Nikki Haley |
Gresham Barrett |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 5–6, 2010 | 998 | ± 3.1% | 51% | 35% | 14% |
Results
Primary results by county:
Haley
- Haley—60–70%
- Haley—50–60%
- Haley—40–50%
- Haley—<40%
Barrett
- Barrett—40–50%
- Barrett—50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 206,326 | 48.9 | |
| Republican | Gresham Barrett | 91,824 | 21.8 | |
| Republican | Henry McMaster | 71,494 | 16.9 | |
| Republican | André Bauer | 52,607 | 12.4 | |
| Total votes | 422,251 | 100 | ||
Primary runoff results by county:
Haley
- Haley—80–90%
- Haley—70–80%
- Haley—60–70%
- Haley—50–60%
Barrett
- Barrett—50–60%
- Barrett—60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 233,733 | 65.1 | |
| Republican | Gresham Barrett | 125,601 | 34.9 | |
| Total votes | 359,334 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jim Rex |
Vincent Sheheen |
Robert Ford |
Dwight Drake* |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | May 22–23, 2010 | 410 | ± 4.8% | 30% | 36% | 11% | -- | -- | 23% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 17, 2010 | 404 | ± 5.0% | 22% | 30% | 4% | -- | 12% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 16% | 16% | 12% | 5% | 15% | 37% |
- as of March 5, 2010 Dwight Drake withdrew from the race for Governor.[17]
Results
Primary results by county:
Sheheen
- Sheheen—>90%
- Sheheen—80–90%
- Sheheen—70–80%
- Sheheen—60–70%
- Sheheen—50–60%
- Sheheen—40–50%
- Sheheen—<40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen | 111,637 | 59.0 | |
| Democratic | Jim Rex | 43,590 | 23.0 | |
| Democratic | Robert Ford | 34,121 | 18.0 | |
| Total votes | 189,348 | 100 | ||
Other Parties
- Morgan Reeves, Businessman, Minister, and retired National Football League player from Irmo[18]
- Dr. Reeves was nominated on March 30 by the United Citizens Party and South Carolina Green Party on April 7 (see SC Election Commission website). Reeves appeared on the November 2nd general election ballot for both parties. An Independent, Dr. Reeves collected enough voter petition signatures to qualify by the July 15th deadline onto a 3rd ballot line.[19]
- Jim Rex, State Superintendent of Education from Fairfield County[20]
- Rex was nominated by the Working Families Party prior to losing the Democratic primary. Rex did not appear on the Working Families ballot line in November due to South Carolina's "sore loser" law that requires candidates not to seek nominations from multiple parties from appearing on the ballot after they lose any one party's nomination (see candidate party pledge forms). Several election law issues are before US appellate court in Richmond, Virginia regarding conformity to the 1965 Voting Rights Act and US Constitutional provisions, see ACLU/Platt v SC [21]
General election
Debates
- "First in the State" Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate
Sponsored by the Republican Parties of Newberry and Laurens Counties
Aired on WIS-TV on September 22, 2009
Watch here
- "Spotlight on the Candidates" Joint Gubernatorial Primary Debate
Sponsored by the SC Natural Resources Society
Aired on SCETV on November 3, 2009
(This debate marked the first time in state history that gubernatorial primary candidates from both parties participated in the same debate.)[22]
Watch here
- SCGOP Gubernatorial Debate
Sponsored by the South Carolina Republican Party
Moderated by MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski
Aired on WCSC-TV on January 28, 2010
Watch here
Endorsements
Senator Vincent Sheheen -- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce[23]
Representative Nikki Haley-- National Rifle Association of America
Representative Nikki Haley-- South Citizens for Life
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[24] | Lean R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[25] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[26] | Lean R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[27] | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[28] | Lean R | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Nikki Haley (R) | Vincent Sheheen (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crantford & Associates | October 21, 2010 | 48% | 37% |
| Crantford & Associates | October 18, 2010 | 43% | 41% |
| Winthrop University | October 13, 2010 | 47% | 39% |
| Hamilton Campaigns | October 5, 2010 | 49% | 44% |
| Hamilton Campaigns | October 5, 2010 | 49% | 44% |
| Hamilton Campaigns | October 4, 2010 | 51% | 41% |
| Crantford & Associates | October 2, 2010 | 45% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 22, 2010 | 50% | 33% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 25, 2010 | 52% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 29, 2010 | 49% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 23, 2010 | 52% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 10, 2010 | 55% | 34% |
| Public Policy Polling | May 22–23, 2010 | 44% | 34% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 690,525 | 51.37% | -3.75% | |
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen | 630,534 | 46.91% | +2.12% | |
| United Citizens | Morgan B. Reeves | 20,114 | 1.50% | ||
| Write-ins | 3,025 | 0.23% | |||
| Majority | 59,991 | 4.46% | -5.87% | ||
| Turnout | 1,344,198 | 50.92% | +6.42% | ||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Colleton (largest city: Walterboro)
- Kershaw (Largest city: Camden)
- Florence (Largest city: Florence)
- Charleston (largest town: Charleston)
- Darlington (largest city: Hartsville)
References
- Hamby, Peter (May 20, 2010). "Haley has momentum in South Carolina race, rivals admit". CNN. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- Barrett running for S.C. governor Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine The State, Mar. 4, 2009
- Lt Gov Bauer makes run for governor official Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine WPDE, Oct. 29, 2009
- Haley announces run for governor Archived 2013-02-05 at archive.today The State, May 14, 2009
- Henry McMaster seeking S.C. Governor post Archived 2013-01-19 at archive.today WCBD, August 3, 2009
- "Governor Mitt Romney Endorses Nikki Haley for South Carolina Governor". Nikkihaley.com. March 16, 2010. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "Sarah Palin to Endorse Nikki Haley". Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- O'Connor, John (November 12, 2009). "Jenny Sanford endorses Nikki Haley - Yahoo elections". TheState.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "Vice President Cheney Endorses Gresham Barrett". GreshamBarrett.com. June 1, 2010. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ANDY BARR. "Rudy latest '08 vet to endorse in S.C. – Jessica Taylor". Politico.Com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "Henry McMaster Endorsed by David Beasley wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports |". Wltx.com. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "South Carolina Primary Results". Politico. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- Ford to focus on return of video poker Post and Courier, Jan. 14, 2009
- Jim Rex announces campaign for governor Archived 2013-01-19 at archive.today WCBD, September 15, 2009
- Sheheen Announces Run for Governor WLTX, Oct. 28, 2009
- Dwight Drake Drops out of SC race Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine Drake for South Carolina, March 5, 2010
- Irmo man clears hurdle to run for governor WACH, March 1, 2010
- Green, Libertarian, Working Families, Labor, Constitution, United Citizens, Independence Archived 2010-06-08 at the Wayback Machine- List of candidates who have filed with these parties. Candidates are nominated by convention and do not appear on Primary ballots.
- "Rex counting on fusion voters in governor's race". GoUpstate.com. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "ACLU to Argue in Appeals Court That South Carolina's Ballot Access Law Is Unconstitutional". CommonDreams.org. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- Ten Gubernatorial Candidates to Share Stage for Historic Debate on ETV Archived 2010-03-01 at the Wayback Machine SCETV Website, Oct. 23, 2009
- "WFAE 90.7 FM". Wfae.org. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "2010 Governors Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- "Governor Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- "2010 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- "THE CRYSTAL BALL'S FINAL CALLS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- "Race Ratings Chart: Governor". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- "SC - Election Results".
External links
- South Carolina State Election Commission
- South Carolina Governor Candidates at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions for 2010 South Carolina Governor from Follow the Money
- South Carolina Governor 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
- 2010 South Carolina Governor General Election: Nikki Haley (R) vs Vincent Sheheen (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: South Carolina Governor from Rasmussen Reports
- 2010 South Carolina Governor from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 South Carolina Governor's Race from CQ Politics
- Race Profile in The New York Times
- Debates
- South Carolina Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate on C-SPAN, June 1, 2010
- South Carolina Democratic Gubernatorial Primary Debate on C-SPAN, June 3, 2010
- South Carolina Republican Gubernatorial Primary Runoff Debate on C-SPAN, June 17, 2010
- Official campaign websites
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