Republicans bitterly divided on supporting Haley

The Politico today reported that while most of the eminent South Carolina Republican leaders have ganged up against Haley,38,in days ahead of the run-off,country’s top Republican leaders including Sarah Palin,the former Alaska Governor,and Mitt Romeny,the former Massachusetts Governor,have been pushing for her.

Palin and Romney consider Haley as an emerging national Republican leader.

“It’s an unusual spectacle: a rare instance in which state and national GOP interests are utterly divergent and at odds,” Politico said.

Haley is facing Gresham Barrett in the June 22 runoff.

Politico said Gresham Barrett,backed by a high-priced team of veteran consultants,has launched a two-week,take-no-prisoners assault to defeat her.

“Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer,who came in a distant fourth in the Republican primary,has endorsed Barrett. So has the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. And some of her statehouse colleagues,after eight tumultuous years of Gov. Mark Sanford,are determined to stop Haley a Sanford protégé from taking the top job,” it reported.

The newspaper said South Carolina’s political insiders are siding with Barrett for a different reason they expect a Haley victory would result in another toxic legislative-executive relationship,with more statehouse gridlock.

Some observers believe the state GOP establishment’s resistance to Haley could play into her hands,resonating with voters who are in an anti-incumbent mood and sick of Columbia’s politics as usual.

“She could take that one and knock it out of the park,too,” Chris Cooper,a national Democratic strategist and South Carolina native,was quoted as saying by the Politico.