Nikki Haley’s lead in the South Carolina gubernatorial race has shrunk to just 10 points according to a new poll from Winthrop University.
It’s still a big gap for her Democratic challenger, Vincent Sheheen to make up, but represents a dip from polls earlier this summer. In August, a CBS News/New York Times/YouGov poll showed her with a 21-point lead.
In 2010, Haley defeated Sheheen, a South Carolina state senator, 51.4%-47%. Four years later, she has the advantage of incumbency, particularly problematic for Democrats in a red state during a midterm election, when turnout is usually lower than the presidential races.
Tom Ervin, an independent candidate, barely received 4 percent and 12.4% of the poll’s respondents said they had yet to make up their mind about who to back in the November 4 gubernatorial election.
According to The Post and Courier, Scott Huffmon, a political scientist at Winthrop University, pointed to Nikki Haley’s incumbency as a big positive for her campaign.
“While she doesn’t have an approval rating in the stratosphere, her approval numbers have been going up,” Huffmon said.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Haley met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stop in New York City.
Governor @nikkihaley meets with Prime Minister @narendramodi – #ModiInAmerica #greatdayinSC pic.twitter.com/TJyUj3RGdj
— Douglass V. Mayer (@DouglassMayer) September 28, 2014
The governor of South Carolina, who is Indian American, talked about economic matters with Modi and possible partnerships between her state and India. She is seen as a promising figure in Republican circles due to her being a young female governor, which could help her party connect with a more diverse group of voters. Winning re-election next month would strengthen her position before the 2016 presidential election.
Nikki Haley, who at 42 is the youngest governor in the United States, is planning to lead a trade delegation to India in November, according to INDOlink.
[photo credit: politisite]