Washington: Indian-American South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is facing fresh challenge in her re-election bid with a retired judge joining the race for governorship as an independent.
Haley, 42, is widely expected to be re-elected for the position which she has held successfully for over three years now, but the entry of Tom Ervin might not make her re-election as smoother as it would have been earlier.
State Senator Vincent Sheheen is challenging Republican Haley, the youngest governor in the US, from the Democratic Party.
Immediately after announcing his governorship bid, Ervin, 62, has launched a scathing attack on Haley, who is not only the first women and non-white governor of the state, but also the first Indian-American women governor.
After Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley - born as Nimrata Nikki Randhawa - is only the second Indian-American governor.
"Although Haley likes to tout jobs, she has missed the mark in failing to recognise the value of protecting our natural resources. Our state`s public beaches and pristine lakes promote tourism. Our rich farmland and forests provide opportunities to grow jobs responsibly," Ervin said.
Running on the agenda of jobs and environment, Haley said she will champion clean air and clean water as birth right. "I will help farmers and foresters find new markets for their products to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs in rural South Carolina," she said.
As an independent, Ervin is threatening to raise some USD 6 million for his campaign.
According to CNN, many see Ervin as a spoiler in the campaign.
"Ervin`s audacious, last-minute entry into the race has been met with eye-rolls by Republicans. A popular rumor in Columbia is that his candidacy is little more than a shadow campaign aided by trial attorneys who have long clashed with the pro-business governor and want a spoiler in the race.
"Haley defeated Sheheen by just four points when they first squared off in the 2010 race," the news channel said.
Some Democrats are hopeful that Ervin, and his money, will help them open up a two-front war against Haley on the campaign trail, while siphoning Republican-leaning voters away from the incumbent, it said.
"We appreciate Mr. Ervin`s desire for public service, but a trial lawyer and former Democratic lawmaker who wants to raise taxes and embrace Obamacare should probably be running as a Democrat," Haley`s spokesman Rob Godfrey said.
"Governor Haley is focused on the legislative session, passing historic education and ethics reforms and keeping the fantastic economic and jobs momentum going. And we look forward to running against two liberal trial lawyers who support Obamacare instead of just one," Godfrey said.
