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From California to South Carolina, Women Rule Primary Night
Voters in 12 states expressed their anger with Washington and special interests Tuesday night by defeating a $10 million union campaign to unseat a senator who had the courage to stand up against their special interest legislation, promoting women outsiders who have run public companies but never held office, and supporting candidates aligned with Tea Party values.
And as clear evidence of voter desire to the shake up the good old boy network in politics, women ruled the night.
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But in South Carolina, the politics are uglier. Igniting voter anger backfired, propelling state Rep. Nikki Haley (R) one stiletto-heeled step closer to the governor's office. Falling just short of the required 50 percent, Haley will now face a runoff against Rep. Gresham Barrett (R) on June 22. (At press time, Barrett's campaign indicated he would not bow out despite Haley's double-digit advantage.)
Once the underdog, Haley surged ahead of her opponents in the polls following an endorsement by Big Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin. Haley maintained her lead despite dirty politics and allegations of adultery, ethnic slurs, and questions about her faith. And all that mudslinging came from the power players within the party.
Her reaction to the personal attacks: "When you turn around and threaten their power and you threaten their money, they turn around and push back," Haley told a crowd of supporters Saturday night. "But what they don't understand is I have a strong faith, I have a strong spine, and I have a strong husband that puts on a military uniform every day."
In a state exhausted by the tabloid-headline behavior of Gov. Mark Sanford (R), Haley capitalized on her reformer messages and outsider status, both in appearance and persona. A strong fiscal conservative, she received backing from Tea Party groups, the Club for Growth, Mitt Romney, and South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford.
If Haley wins the Republican nomination in two weeks and is elected in November, she will become the first woman and, being of Indian descent, the first minority elected governor of South Carolina. "If I win, I want it to be historic in the nature that South Carolina is moving forward for reform," Haley said Tuesday after voting in the primary.
While Congress dined on smoked salmon with President Obama and the first lady at a picnic on the South Lawn on Tuesday evening, the voters spoke. The message is clear. The party is over.
And the people are in charge.
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Originally posted on The Daily Beast.