Nikki Haley

South Carolina Rep. Nikki Haley has aspirations to become the governor of the Palmetto state in the upcoming election. However, it appears she’ll have to contend with allegations from former Gov. Mark Stanford staffer Will Folks that Folks and Nikki Haley were involved in “an inappropriate physical relationship” that occurred during her current marriage. According to the Daily Caller, Will Folks dropped the Nikki Haley bomb on his website.
Was Rep. Nikki Haley ‘hiking the Appalachian Trail,’ too?
As Nikki Haley and anyone else who has paid attention to South Carolina politics knows, the office of governor has been a veritable hot seat that has attracted its fair share of attention. Gov. Mark Sanford “hiked the Appalachian Trail” on taxpayer dollars (rather than easy cash loans) in order to be with mistress Maria Belen Chapur. Lt. Governor Andre Bauer publicly compared poor people to stray animals. Now gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley is dealing with her own alleged affair. Her campaign team has denied Folks’ allegations. Haley has told the press that “I have been 100 percent faithful to my husband throughout our 13 years of marriage.” Folks’ subsequent marriage (after the alleged affair) has reportedly been less successful. There was a domestic violence incident in 2005 where Folks shoved his wife into the furniture.
Folks is feeling the pressure
There are “several impending news stories” in the South Carolina press involving this alleged affair between Nikki Haley and Will Folks, and this, according to the Daily Caller, is what prompted Folks to speak out. “I am told that at least one story based upon this information will be published this week,” he said. “Watching all of this unfold, I have become convinced that the gradual release of this information is deliberately designed to advance this story in the press while simultaneously forcing either evasive answers or denials on my part or on Nikki’s part.”
In other words, the press is having a field day
Here’s a thought: Perhaps South Carolina politicians could behave in a more upright, honest manner. Clearly the claims against Nikki Haley have not been proved, but does South Carolina need any more negative publicity? Their political cupboards have been full for some time. One wonders if Sarah Palin and Jenny Sanford – both of whom have endorsed Nikki Haley – did their due diligence before taking the podium. While there are plenty of people like the author of the India Unfinished blog who have positive things to say about Nikki Haley – i.e. “Nikki’s greatest gift to voters is herself. She represents fusion, ambition, integrity and perseverance” – even a potentially unfounded allegation against Haley look bad for a state that lately has been burned by its politicians a great deal