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 County results Precinct resultsHaley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Sheheen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. IncumbentRepublicanGovernorMark Sanford wasterm limited and unable to seek re-election.Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010, and arunoff election, as was necessary on the Republican side, was held two weeks later on June 22.
RepublicanNikki Haley defeated DemocratVincent Sheheen in the general election by a margin of 4.5%. As of 2023, this is the closest that the Democrats have come to winning the governorship of South Carolina since their last victory in1998. This is the first open-seat election since1994. Haley was re-elected in2014 in a rematch with Sheheen.
According toCNN, Haley initially entered the gubernatorial primary as adark horse candidate. In an article covering her surge in the primary in the weeks prior to the election, it was noted that a "surprise" endorsement from former Alaska governor and2008 vice presidential candidateSarah Palin boosted Haley's candidacy. Haley's campaign was backed by TV ads run by ReformSC, an advocacy group funded by allies of outgoing governorMark Sanford.[1]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Henry McMaster | Gresham Barrett | André Bauer | Nikki Haley | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 5–6, 2010 | 998 | ± 3.1% | 16% | 23% | 12% | 43% | -- | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | May 22–23, 2010 | 638 | ± 3.9% | 18% | 16% | 13% | 39% | -- | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 17, 2010 | 931 | ± 4.5% | 19% | 17% | 12% | 30% | 3% | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 21% | 14% | 17% | 12% | 9% | 29% |
| InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research ([2]) | December 16, 2009 | 371 | ± 5.1% | 22% | 9% | 22% | 13% | 6% | 28% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Nikki Haley | Gresham Barrett | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 5–6, 2010 | 998 | ± 3.1% | 51% | 35% | 14% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 206,326 | 48.9 | |
| Republican | Gresham Barrett | 91,824 | 21.8 | |
| Republican | Henry McMaster | 71,494 | 16.9 | |
| Republican | André Bauer | 52,607 | 12.4 | |
| Total votes | 422,251 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 233,733 | 65.1 | |
| Republican | Gresham Barrett | 125,601 | 34.9 | |
| Total votes | 359,334 | 100 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jim Rex | Vincent Sheheen | Robert Ford | Dwight Drake* | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | May 22–23, 2010 | 410 | ± 4.8% | 30% | 36% | 11% | -- | -- | 23% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report[permanent dead link]) | May 17, 2010 | 404 | ± 5.0% | 22% | 30% | 4% | -- | 12% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 16% | 16% | 12% | 5% | 15% | 37% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen | 111,637 | 59.0 | |
| Democratic | Jim Rex | 43,590 | 23.0 | |
| Democratic | Robert Ford | 34,121 | 18.0 | |
| Total votes | 189,348 | 100 | ||
Sponsored by the Republican Parties ofNewberry andLaurens Counties
Aired onWIS-TV on September 22, 2009
Watch here
Sponsored by the SC Natural Resources Society
Aired onSCETV on November 3, 2009
(This debate marked the first time in state history that gubernatorial primary candidates from both parties participated in the same debate.)[22]
Watch here
Sponsored by theSouth Carolina Republican Party
Moderated byMSNBC hostsJoe Scarborough andMika Brzezinski
Aired onWCSC-TV on January 28, 2010
Watch here
Senator Vincent Sheheen-- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce[23]
Representative Nikki Haley--National Rifle Association of America
Representative Nikki Haley-- South Citizens for Life
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[24] | Lean R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[25] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[26] | Lean R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[27] | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[28] | Lean R | October 28, 2010 |
| Poll source | Dates administered | Nikki Haley (R) | Vincent Sheheen (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crantford & Associates[29] | October 21, 2010 | 48% | 37% |
| Crantford & Associates[29] | October 18, 2010 | 43% | 41% |
| Winthrop University[30] | October 13, 2010 | 47% | 39% |
| Hamilton Campaigns[31] | October 5, 2010 | 49% | 44% |
| Hamilton Campaigns[31] | October 5, 2010 | 49% | 44% |
| Hamilton Campaigns[31] | October 4, 2010 | 51% | 41% |
| Crantford & Associates[29] | October 2, 2010 | 45% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports[32] | September 22, 2010 | 50% | 33% |
| Rasmussen Reports[33] | August 25, 2010 | 52% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports[34] | July 29, 2010 | 49% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports[35] | June 23, 2010 | 52% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports[36] | June 10, 2010 | 55% | 34% |
| Public Policy Polling[37] | May 22–23, 2010 | 44% | 34% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 690,525 | 51.37% | −3.75% | |
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen | 630,534 | 46.91% | +2.12% | |
| United Citizens | Morgan B. Reeves | 20,114 | 1.50% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 3,025 | 0.23% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 59,991 | 4.46% | −5.87% | ||
| Turnout | 1,344,198 | 50.92% | +6.42% | ||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
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