2nd S.C. man claims tryst with woman vying for GOP gubernatorial nomination

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A South Carolina lobbyist resigned from a rival political campaign on Wednesday and then became the second man to claim he had a tryst with a Republican lawmaker trying to become the state’s first female governor.

Lobbyist Larry Marchant admitted he had no proof to back up his allegation of a one-night stand with state Rep. Nikki Haley in 2008, and her campaign vehemently denied the allegation. The claim became the latest political drama for a state that was roiled when Gov. Mark Sanford made a tearful confession last summer to sneaking out of the country to rendezvous with an Argentine woman.

Earlier in the day, Marchant had resigned from the campaign of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is competing with Haley for the GOP nomination in the June 8 primary.

“This is a false and outrageous, desperate attack from a losing candidate’s paid campaign consultant in the final week of the race,” Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson said in a statement.

“As Nikki Haley rises in the polls, the good old boys in Columbia see their taxpayer-funded fraternity party coming crumbling down, and they will say or do anything to hold onto their power,” Pearson said. “This is South Carolina politics at its worst. The people of our state deserve better, and when Nikki Haley is governor, they’ll get it.” Marchant concedes he can’t prove his allegation. “We knew up front that I didn’t have any evidence because you can’t have any evidence on a one night affair — you don’t have that.”

Marchant’s claim is the second leveled at Haley in as many weeks. Last week, political blogger Will Folks said he and Haley had an “inappropriate physical relationship” in 2007. Despite dribbling out days of innuendo on his website, Folks has yet to prove his claims. He was not married at the time of the alleged relationship.

Haley, a 38-year-old married mother of two, vows she has been faithful over 13 years of marriage. She is a ‘tea party’ favorite in the four-way race for the GOP nomination to succeed the term-limited Sanford, whose ex-wife has campaigned for her.

-- Associated Press