All right, y’all… time for another installment of the politicraziness that is the 2010 election: “I Am Woman” edition!
Today will be another “Super Tuesday” in eleven states — and this one could be even super-er for one person in particular!
Her name is Nikki Haley, and she’s running in the Republican primary for the governor of South Carolina against three other dudes who all hold powerful spots in the government.
She’s breaking the mold in a few ways… First off, if elected, she’d be just the second Indian-American governor in the United States, a trail blazed first by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.
Second, she’d be the first female governor of South Carolina — a “good-ol’-boy” state, as Walter Shapiro at PoliticsDaily.com puts it. She’s got the endorsement of some very high profile ladies to boot, like Sarah Palin and ex-first lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford.
But, not to get ahead of ourselves… She’s got to win the primary first, which might not be an easy feat. Breaking the 50% of the vote barrier that would avoid a run-off might be tricky, given the fact that there’s three others in the running.
Also, a couple of conservative talking heads (one a blogger, another a lobbyist) have come forward to claim some salacious relations with state Representative Haley, which she has denied outright.
So, what’s a girl to do when the establishment is trying to bring her down? Marc Ambinder with The Atlantic has a take:
It hasn’t been a very good year for women in American politics. From being cast aside by their own parties, to enduring sexism to wielding lackluster campaigns, a number of women in electoral politics just have watched their chances diminish. [...] But now, one day before the Palmetto Primary, it appears as though Haley will weather the storm…
So, between dealing with a sex scandal or two, running a race against some powerful dudes, and being referred to as a “raghead” by an opponent, Haley is up against a lot. Wrap it up for us, Walter Shapiro:
But if anyone dared to handicap the weirdest South Carolina gubernatorial race in memory, the signs and portents suggest that Nikki Haley is well on her way to becoming the first woman governor of this good-ol’-boy state…
S0, as always, stay tuned to see what’s happening next in this mess of a democrazy Americans call their own! And for a quick and dirty guide to the rest of today’s races, check out Talking Points Memo’s run-down here.
And if you live in any of those states, you better get up off that couch and vote for the candidate that you believe in!!
