"Now it's our turn"

By Lyn Riddle  

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 12:02 p.m. (0)

Governing South Carolina next year won’t be for the faint of heart and Tuesday night Nikki Haley looked like she was so ready to jump in she was giddy.

Consider: South Carolina’s unemployment rate is 11 percent, sixth highest in the nation.

State government likely will have $1 billion less to spend. This year’s budget is $21 billion.

The tax structure has been roundly criticized as unfair to virtually everyone, from corporations to school boards.

“Now it’s our turn,” Haley said in her speech to supporters after victory over Democrat Vincent Sheheen was assured.

She said her victory as the first woman and first person of color – she is Indian-American – to be elected to the state’s highest office would be considered historic.

“But the history is going to be where we go,” she said, promising to take the state and the country back.

“My goal was always to get you to care,” she said. “Every dollar was not government money but taxpayer money. Today the people of South Carolina embraced that message.”

Standing with her was her husband Michael, a federal technician with the South Carolina National Guard and an officer in the Army National Guard, and their children Rena, 12, and Nalin, 8. She thanked them, her staffers, her volunteers and Gov. Mark Sanford, who she spent a certain amount of time recently distancing herself from largely because of his cantankerous relationship with the General Assembly.

Haley has attempted to reach out to legislators and was expected to begin again as governor elect on Thursday with a meeting in Pinopolis with Senate Republicans. Nevertheless, her rhetoric on the campaign trail included pledges to “burn” or “punish” legislators who don’t go along with her plans to reform government.

Haley benefited from endorsements from Sarah Palin and Jenny Sanford, who attended the victory celebration. And was able to overcome the fallout from allegations by two men that she had been unfaithful to her husband, which she denied, and criticism that she paid her income taxes late since 2003, resulting in fines of more than $4,000.

Sheheen called Haley a liar who used her influence as a state legislator to get a delay on an audit of her family’s clothing store. The charges cut into what was once a double-digit advantage for Haley, but it was not enough. The unofficial results showed Haley with 52 percent of the vote to Sheheen’s 46 percent.

Haley described Sheheen as gracious during his concession call and said she looked forward to working with him. He has two years to serve in his state Senate term.

He called the race “oh, oh so close.”

Haley has said she will eliminate the corporate income tax, privatize school bus transportation, get faith-based organizations to help with early childhood education and find corporations to bolster libraries. She also wants to strike down the federal health care reform law and will push for an immigration law similar to Arizona’s.

On Tuesday night she made another pledge:

“To every citizen of South Carolina, I’m going to get to work for you and I’m going to make you proud.”