Gov. Haley endorses Bright opponent in Senate runoff

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is endorsing former state Rep. Scott Talley in his GOP runoff bid to unseat libertarian firebrand Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg.

Haley and another former challenger to Sen. Bright, Greer businessman David McCraw, were to attend a Talley campaign event Thursday night in Duncan.

Bright and Talley will face off in a June 26 runoff for the District 12 Senate seat. In the June 12 primary, Bright finished first in a four-candidate race, but took only 38 percent of the vote. Talley was second at 27 percent.

Bright, who is seeking a third term in the Senate, has made headlines for his proposals, including introducing a bill this year to ban transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice. The bill failed.

The S.C. Chamber of Commerce’s political arm also is targeting Bright. It launched its third radio ad against Bright Thursday, saying the incumbent would “rather talk about who can fix with bathroom” than “fix the roads.”

In a fund-raising email Thursday, Bright said “the big business and powerful special-interest lobby just reaffirmed they’re doubling down on their efforts to defeat me.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Gov. Haley endorses Bright opponent in Senate runoff."