There’s no love lost between Nikki Haley and the South Carolina chapter of the Chamber of Commerce. The state Chamber had never made an endorsement in the governor’s race before this year, but it picked Haley’s primary challenger Gresham Barrett (Haley walloped him). The chamber also endorsed Vincent Sheheen on the Democratic side during the primary. So with the primaries over and Haley facing Sheheen in the general, a pro-business group goes with the Republican, right? Wrong.
The Chamber is sticking with Sheheen, and the Haley camp isn’t holding back.
“The state Chamber is a big fan of bailouts and corporate welfare, so it’s no surprise that they would prefer a liberal like Vincent Sheheen over a conservative like Nikki Haley,” Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey said earlier this week, according to the AP.
At least one member of the Chamber has resigned over the move:
For instance, Mark Buyck Jr., a Florence lawyer who runs one of the state’s oldest law firms, resigned his chamber membership. “We cannot lend our name to an organization which behaves as the chamber did in this endorsement without input from its membership,” said Buyck. He said the decisions were made by the board, not the chamber’s membership.
Read the rest here.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpoitnsmemo.com
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