South by South

Interesting facts about Nikki Haley and her experiences-

* Despite the fact that she has converted to Christianity, voters apparently are 'seeking assurances' that she is committed to the "faith."

* Of all the candidates only Ms. Haley is being quizzed about the Civil war

* She, for her part, is trying to distance herself from her background- "chastised reporters for using the candidate's full name, Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley."

The South is dredging the bottom of the politics, and sinking deeper and deeper in the mud.

Nikki Haley Works to Persuade Voters of Her Loyalty to South Carolina - WSJ.com: "Mrs. Haley, 38 years old, is an Indian-American, born into the Sikh faith, who converted to Christianity as an adult. Her background has prompted some voters to seek assurances that she is committed to her Christian faith and understands the feelings among some about the state's Civil War history.

Mrs. Haley appears to have overcome these tests. She is heavily favored to win a GOP primary runoff Tuesday and is leading in general election polls—an ascent that began with an endorsement by Sarah Palin and, many GOP leaders believe, accelerated as voters rejected grumblings about Mrs. Haley's background and unproven allegations of marital infidelity. She would be the first woman to hold the state's top political job.
"As ugly and as tough as it has been," said Katon Dawson, former state GOP chairman, "I think South Carolina Republicans are pretty proud of what's going on right now."Like her three GOP rivals for the governor's office, Mrs. Haley sat this spring for a videotaped interview with the Palmetto Patriots, a local activist group that aims to "fight attacks against Southern Culture" and talks with candidates "to ensure compliance with conservative values."But Mrs. Haley was the only one to be asked the freighted question of what she thought had caused the Civil War.Members of the group were curious about Mrs. Haley's views because of her heritage, said Robert Slimp, a Columbia, S.C., pastor who participated in the questioning. The group did not ask her rivals about the war, he said, because "all of them are Southerners whose families go back to beyond the war between the states, back to antebellum times, and they would have a deeper appreciation of Southern thinking and mentality."
Conservative radio show host Bob McLain said callers to his program have asked about Mrs. Haley's faith, and that questions about her religion had recently reached a "ludicrous point."Mr. McLain said he had asked Mrs. Haley personally about her religion and came away convinced of the firmness of her Christian faith.Mrs. Haley's campaign said persistent questions about religion had prompted it to revise its website. It now features a page designed to shoot down rumors, with the headline "Question: Is Nikki a Christian?"The answer: "My faith in Christ has a profound impact on my daily life and I look to Him for guidance with every decision I make." That response was sharpened from the site's previous answer, which did not mention Christ but referred instead to "Almighty God."When Mrs. Haley first ran for the legislature in 2004, one of her campaign brochures said she was "proudly raised with her Indian traditions." Still, her campaign has been sensitive to questions of race, and has chastised reporters for using the candidate's full name, Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley."