South Carolina Republican candidate for Governor Nikki Haley is getting "dissed" again. When will the political carnage stop? I knew South Carolina had a reputation for gutter politics but my goodness. All of this will test Haley's Christian character like never before.
Read below from The State Newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina.
Lexington state Sen. Jake Knotts called political rival and Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley a “raghead” on an Internet political talk show Thursday evening.
The term is a slur typically used against Arabs or other ethnic groups who wear turbans or headdresses. Haley, a state representative from Lexington, is the child of Indian immigrants.
“We already got one raghead in the White House,” Knotts said. “We don’t need another in the Governor’s Mansion.”
According to those present and watching the show, “Pub Politics,” Knotts also talked at length about Haley’s parents’ religion and her family. Haley was raised as a Sikh, but converted to Methodist and has said she attends both services. “Pub Politics” host Wesley Donehue said the video will be posted today.
S.C. GOP chairwoman Karen Floyd called on Knotts to apologize, which he did late Thursday.
Knotts said his comments were meant as humor.
“My ‘raghead’ comments about Obama and Haley were intended in jest,” Knotts said in a statement. “Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub. It’s like local political version of ‘Saturday Night Live.’
“Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur.”
And then there is this story about Haley as well. Read below from Politico:
South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley is vowing to resign if either of the two men who say they’ve had an affair with her is ever able to prove it.
Both blogger Will Folks and lobbyist Larry Marchant have in the last two weeks claimed to have had sex with Haley while she was married, but neither has been able to present any definitive proof of such a relationship.
Marchant, who until Thursday worked on a rival Republican primary campaign, has even conceded that it will be “very hard” to prove his alleged one-night stand with Haley.
Haley — the only woman in the race — has denied having a sexual relationship with either man and in a radio interview Thursday with Columbia’s WVOC said she would resign if either man is able to present proof.
“If something comes out after you win the primary, or after you win the general election become South Carolina's next governor, if something were to come out that validates the claims that have been made against you — in terms of stepping out on your husband and on your marriage — would you resign as governor because basically the way you've handled it has been an absolute, 100 percent denial?” the host asked Haley.
“Yes,” the state representative responded.
“Yes, you would resign?” the host again asked.
“Yes,” she said.
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