Nikki Haley to Announce Re-Election Bid Today in Greenville

Gov. Nikki Haley will announce her plans to run for re-election today during a rally at the Bi-Lo Center in downtown Greenville. Haley is also scheduled to attend  a fundraising event.

The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Protesters led by the state AFL-CIO and the South Carolina Democratic Women’s Council have pledged to demonstrate at the event.

The announcement is something of a formality as the governor has long been thought to be planning for a re-election bid in 2014. The Movement Fund, a PAC which supports her, ran an advertisement on her behalf in the spring. She has received over $2 million in donations to her campaign.

The signs point to a rematch from 2010 with Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw). Polls from earlier this year showed Haley and Sheheen in a virtual dead heat. A rematch would be one of the most closely-watched gubernatorial races in the country.

She won the governor's office with a victory over Sheheen by four percentage points.

Today's event will also feature rumored 2016 presidential aspirants, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

Upon hearing of Haley's plans, Sheheen's campaign manager Andrew Whalen told Patch:

"Nikki Haley has been an utter failure for South Carolina, its people and its businesses. Her administration has repeatedly shown a pattern of secrecy and culture of incompetence that has made South Carolina one of the hardest places to make a living and achieve the American Dream.

Under Nikki Haley, South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and our residents and businesses fight to thrive because of crumbling roads and challenged schools. She certainly has not earned another term."