So, apparently these elections is a lot more complicated than I thought. There are nine state offices up for grabs, including Governor. Then, six Solicitor circuits, 124 SC State House of Representatives, six United States House of Representatives, and one US Senate seat all up for grabs.
I'm going to basically give a rundown, over the next few days, of what these offices are, and then who's running for them, and how long their terms last.
~Let's start with the Governor and the state offices. The Governor seat (currently held by Mark Sanford (R)) is contested by Nikki Haley (R), Vincent A. Sheheen (D), and Morgan B. Reeves (Green, United Citizens). The Governor is pretty much the parental advisory for the state. They are the final say on all state matters, and can even issue Executive Orders for the state. Basically, he is like the President of South Carolina.
States all have an Executive Branch of the state's government, and the Governor is the head of it. Because of this, they have some serious influence on foreign affairs, since states have a lot of direct economic contact with other nations. They are ultimately responsible for the way the state handles it's international trade. In addition to this, a state's National Guard is under the control of the Governor.
So, long story short (because there's sooo much more to it), the Governor runs the state for four years. So, it's pretty important.
Now, what about the candidates? Nikki Haley (R), Vincent A. Sheheen (D), and Morgan B. Reeves (Green, United Citizens).
Nikki Haley is the Republican nominee for Governor. Starting at the beginning - Her parents are Sikh immigrants from India. She has two brothers and a sister, and two children and a husband. Born in Bamberg, SC, she graduated from Clemson, majored in accounting. She's done a bunch of business-person type of stuff, like being involved with local Chamber of Commerces, multiple Associations and Foundations. I'll let you guys get into the details of her accounting career if you want, here.
Her full name is Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley. She was born and raised Sikh, and converted to Methodism (her husband's personal brand of Christianity) shortly before she was married. She still attends a Sikh Temple occasionally with her parents, although she is a member of a Methodist church, and is raising her children Methodist.
Now, I don't mean to go on about her religion and ethnicity, but it's kind of a big deal. As much as it screams PUBLICITY STUNT BY THE GOP to me (just like that, in big bold letters), she doesn't seem to be another Sarah Palin. On the contrary, she was described as "sharp and articulate" by a Newsweek journalist. I'd agree, too, with what I've seen so far. I'm very glad to see someone running that is not only a successful businessperson, but also a mother (often better education values), and someone who has a little bit of culture in her life. So, if it actually is a publicity stunt, it's a pretty good one.
Anyways, without having actually done my homework about what she stands for yet, my only reservation is with the Tea Party label she carries after her big endorsement by Sarah Palin. This endorsement, and some big money that followed it for ads, put her on the map. She was in last place in the polls before Palin came along, and also last in fundraising. That kind of worries me, but I'll save any judgments for when I go through some videos and legislation and stuff of her.
In the next post, I'll get into what she stands for, what she's historically done, and what she's up to in the news.
Sources:
Wisegeek.com
National Guard Wikipedia
SCVotes.Org
VoteSmart.Org
Newsweek
SCStateHouse.Gov
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