The 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010, and a runoff election, as was necessary on the Republican side, was held two weeks later on June 22.
Republican Nikki Haley defeated Democrat Vincent 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 in 1998. This is the first open-seat election since 1994. Haley was re-elected in 2014 in a rematch with Sheheen.
Republican primary
According to CNN, Haley initially entered the gubernatorial primary as a dark 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 and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin boosted Haley's candidacy. Haley's campaign was backed by TV ads run by ReformSC, an advocacy group funded by allies of outgoing Governor Mark Sanford.
Candidates
- Gresham Barrett, U.S. representative
- André Bauer, lieutenant governor
- Nikki Haley, state representative
- Henry McMaster, state attorney general
Endorsements
Nikki Haley
- Former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), former Republican vice presidential candidate
- Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican nomination
- Former First Lady of South Carolina Jenny Sanford
- Republican Liberty Caucus
Gresham Barrett
- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney
Henry McMaster
- Former Governor David Beasley (R-SC)
- Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani (R-NY), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican nomination
- Senator John McCain (R-AZ), former candidate for 2008 presidential election
André Bauer
- Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former presidential candidate for 2008 Republican nomination
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert Ford, state senator from Charleston
- Jim Rex, state superintendent of education from Fairfield County
- Vincent Sheheen, state senator from Camden
Polling
- As of March 5, 2010 Dwight Drake withdrew from the race for governor.
Other parties
- Morgan Reeves, businessman, minister, and retired National Football League player from Irmo
- Reeves was nominated on March 30 by the United Citizens Party and South Carolina Green Party on April 7 (see SC Election Commission website). He appeared on the November 2 general election ballot for both parties. An Independent, Reeves collected enough voter petition signatures to qualify by the July 15 deadline onto a third ballot line.
- Jim Rex, state superintendent of education from Fairfield County
- Rex was nominated by the Working Families Party prior to losing the Democratic primary. He did not appear on the Working Families ballot line in November due to South Carolina's "sore loser" law that requires candidates not to seek nominations from multiple parties from appearing on the ballot after they lose any one party's nomination (see candidate party pledge forms). Several election law issues are before US appellate court in Richmond, Virginia regarding conformity to the 1965 Voting Rights Act and US Constitutional provisions.
General election
Debates
- "First in the State" Republican gubernatorial primary debate
Sponsored by the Republican parties of Newberry and Laurens counties
Aired on WIS-TV on September 22, 2009
Watch here
- "Spotlight on the Candidates" joint gubernatorial primary debate
Sponsored by the SC Natural Resources Society
Aired on SCETV 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.)
Watch here
- SCGOP gubernatorial debate
Sponsored by the South Carolina Republican Party
Moderated by MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski
Aired on WCSC-TV on January 28, 2010
Watch here
- Republican Candidates For South Carolina Governor April Debate: Watch here
Endorsements
Senator Vincent Sheheen - South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
Representative Nikki Haley - National Rifle Association of America
Representative Nikki Haley - South Citizens for Life
Results
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Colleton (largest city: Walterboro)
- Kershaw (largest city: Camden)
- Florence (largest city: Florence)
- Charleston (largest city: Charleston)
- Darlington (largest city: Hartsville)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Newberry (largest city: Newberry)
- Saluda (largest city: Saluda)
- Edgefield (largest city: Edgefield)
- McCormick (largest town: McCormick)