FIRST LADY ENDORSES STATE REP TO PICK UP WHERE HUSBAND LEFT OFF

South Carolina’s first lady has confirmed what many in the state already knew: State Rep. Nikki Haley has been chosen as the heiress to Mark Sanford’s governorship.

The coronation came in the form of a letter from Jenny Sanford Wednesday formally endorsing Haley. The correspondence put to rest any doubt that the Lexington Republican was hand-picked by the Sanfords to pick up where the current governor will leave off in 2011.

“I’m proud of the work Mark and his Administration have done over almost seven years now, trying very hard to
move the ball forward,” Mrs. Sanford wrote. “That’s why I think it is so important that South Carolina elect Nikki Haley as our next Governor.”

You can view the entire letter by clicking here.

Haley faces a crowded Republican field in next June’s primary, though.

Congressman Gresham Barrett, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, State Sen. Larry Grooms and Attorney General Henry McMaster would all like to be the next governor.

Only Haley, though, will attempt to do so on Sanford’s coattails. So much for running on a platform of “reform.”