ShareThisANDERSON, S.C. - Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Vincent Sheheen, now on their way to what we hope will be a civil battle for the South Carolina governor's office, will soon begin to point out their differences.
We'll start with their similarities:
-- Both are part of the establishment called the General Assembly. Sheheen has been in the state Senate since 2004. He previously served two terms in the House. Haley has been in the House since 2004.
-- Both are Clemson graduates, Haley in 1994 and Sheheen in 1993. Sheheen also holds a law degree from the University of South Carolina. (Here's where he may have the advantage, having graduated from both schools in fierce-in-state rivalry South Carolina.)
-- Sheheen is married and has three children. Haley is married and has two children.
-- Both have great photos in the legislative directory -- smiling, yet not overly so. Both probably have good driver's-license photos, too. They're attractive people.
Sure, we know that shouldn't matter, but psychologically there's probably a connection between physical appearance and appeal to voters.
Citing Mike Huckabee's 120-pound weight loss, one online poll we found asked, "Would you be more likely to vote for someone who isn't overweight?" Almost 60 percent of the respondents said yes.
And a March story on CNN concerned a Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis survey that revealed "good-looking, slim, tall people tend to make more money than their plain-Jane counterparts."
After eliminating education and experience as defining traits, Fed researchers concluded that the "beauty premium" exists throughout all occupations.
One other way in which Sheheen and Haley are similar: Each is trying to link the other with either party politics or a specific politician.
Sheheen fired the first shot, albeit a gentlemanly one, when he described Haley as a protege of GOP Gov. Mark Sanford and his "legacy of conflict, division and antagonism." Indeed, Haley has often been referred to as Sanford's "handpicked successor," and both the governor and the former first lady supported her candidacy and were at Haley's victory party Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has put Sheheen on a par with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a stretch, but one that usually works, especially if ads use eerie music and shadowy photographs.
Karen Floyd, chair of the state Republican Party, is even linking Sheheen with Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alvin Greene, who shocked even political veterans with a primary win over former chief circuit judge Vic Rawl -- without campaigning or spending a dime. But Sheheen, who, according to his campaign and to state Democratic Party chair Carol Fowler, isn't even acquainted with Greene, has been linked with him nonetheless by Floyd. She had a grand old time at a GOP breakfast with a little wordplay on Greene and Sheheen, much to the delight of attendees.
Haley is playing it cool so far. But despite her stellar primary showing, she has a few problems to work out before she starts taking potshots at the opposition.
The accusations of infidelity are still hanging over her head, allegations she has steadfastly dismissed with outrage but not response. Can she continue to do so as the campaign intensifies? We're not really concerned about her personal life and really don't place much credence in the veracity of her first accuser, a well-known -- if not well-respected -- blogger who is not famous for his unbiased opinions. After essentially admitting that his motivation was traffic for his site, in fact, he continued to push Haley's candidacy despite his unproven claims.
But it does concern us that he is someone she obviously trusted to advise and assist her in her campaign. That doesn't show particularly good judgment on her part.
Haley's demands of fellow lawmakers for transparency in all forms, specifically in reporting outside income, took a hit when The State newspaper published a story regarding her failure to report income for consulting work she did for Wilbur Smith Associates, an engineering firm.
Haley said she was not required to report the income, and the state Ethics Commission agreed.
So she's OK when it comes to the letter of the law.
But it still doesn't look good for someone who has pushed the transparency scenario to its limits, almost building an entire campaign on it, to not go overboard in being completely transparent about her own income.
Haley has the potential to be our state's first female governor. Let's get that out of the way for the moment and get down to what really matters.
The only history we should require of our next governor is to bring South Carolina back from economic straits and away from the bad publicity we've had to endure over the last few years.
And if the party powerful would stay out of it and let the candidates argue their own cases, we'd all be better off -- and probably be able to make up our minds about the best person to be our next governor -- without the inane and sometimes inappropriate distractions that all too often accompany politics in South Carolina.
(Bonnie Williams is editorial page editor of the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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