Nikki Haley (R)

Years before she received her degree in accounting from Clemson University, Haley worked for her mother's clothing shop; she started keeping the books at age 13. After graduating from Clemson, Haley worked as an accountant for North Carolina-based waste- management firm FCR before returning to her mother's upscale clothing line, Exotica International. She served as chief financial officer and helped it become a multi-million dollar business.

Political Debut

Haley joined the political sphere in 2004 when she defeated veteran state Rep. Larry Koon (R) in a district undergoing demographic changes. She was reelected in 2006, and again with a resounding 83 percent of the vote in 2008.

While in the South Carolina legislature, Haley pushed for smaller government, transparency and restrained spending. She was known for alienating colleagues in the legislature in her persuit of greater transparency.

2010 Governor's Race

In May 2009, Haley joined the race for governor as the only woman competing against three more prominent Republicans. She stayed in last place for almost a year before climbing in the polls. GOP politicos attributed her rise to her message of reform and charismatic campaign style. Haley was also buoyed by the May 2010 endorsement of unofficial Tea Party spokeswoman Sarah Palin.

Before coming out on top, Haley battled harsh personal criticism - questions about her religion, racist slurs and accusations of extra-marrital affairs. Her religious beliefs became an issue, with opponents questioning her Christianity, because she was raised in the Sikh faith. The contest made national headlines when state Sen. Jake Knotts called President Obama and Haley "ragheads" on an Internet radio show.

Affair Allegations

At times, Haley put South Carolina's Republican primary in the national spotlight as much for the scandals swirling around her as for the ground-breaking nature of her campaign. A year after the sensational sex-scandal of Gov. Mark Sanford rocked the state (the missing governor, supposedly hiking the Appalachian Trail, turned out to be visiting a mistress in Argentina whom he called "my soul mate"), Haley had to battle a sex scandal of her own: two men connected to the South Carolina GOP claimed to have had trysts with the candidate.

One allegation came from conservative blogger and former Mark Sanford spokesman Will Folks, and another came from lobbyist Larry Marchant, a former campaign advisor for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, one of Haley's opponents in the Republican primary. Haley categorically denied the charges, and the scandals seemed to do little to hurt her popularity.

In the June 8 primary, Haley finished well ahead all three of her rivals, but with only 49 percent of the vote, she did not win the party's nomination outright.

In the June 22 runoff, Haley delivered a decisive 65 to 35 percent win over runnerup Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.). Though Democrats are confident in their candidate, they admit that he is the underdog in this red state.

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