COLUMBIA, S.C., June 9 (UPI) -- Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen will have to wait awhile to find out who his Republican opponent will be in the run for South Carolina's governor.
While Sheheen won the Democratic nomination handily Tuesday, state Rep. Nikki Haley came up shy of the 50 percent plus one vote she needed to avoid a June 22 runoff with U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett.
Haley, a Tea Party-backed candidate bidding to become the state's first female chief executive, polled 48.86 percent of the vote to 21.76 for Barrett with 45 of 46 counties reporting, The State newspaper in Columbia said.
"We knew from the beginning it was us versus the establishment," Haley told supporters in Columbia Tuesday night. "We were settling (in South Carolina) for a Republican House, a Republican Senate, a Republican governor. I won't stop until we get a conservative House, a conservative Senate, a conservative governor."
Barrett may face stiff odds but said he's up for the challenge.
"We're in the runoff, and I'm excited about that," Barrett said. "Now, we've got two weeks. We're going to finish strong, and we're going to make history."
Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, is term-limited and could not seek re-election.
