UPDATED: Nikki Haley Asks Controversial Volunteer to Resign, He Does

UPDATED: 8:15:

Sen. Joel Lourie (D-Richland), one of the two Democrats who called for Haley to remove Roan Garcia-Quintana issued the following statement on the news that Garcia-Quintana had stepped aside:

"After defending and refusing to dismiss a white supremacist from her campaign for days, Gov. Haley has finally responded to public outcry by continuing to point the finger at other people and cry foul. She needs to offer an explanation for why she stood by a man who has spent his career fighting to keep the Caucasian heritage 'pure.' The delay in her decision, the fact that she released this information on a Sunday over a holiday weekend, and the political attacks her staff have launched this past week instead of taking responsibility are all still concerning. I am glad she finally came to such an obvious decision but it troubles me greatly that it took her so long.”

Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw), Haley's expected opponent for governor next year said, "Finally."

Republicans acknowledged more due diligence could have been done regarding Garcia-Quintana's presence on the committee, but also noted that Bailey never apologized to Haley last year for calling her "Sikh Jesus."

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After nearly a week of controversy, the re-eelction campaign for Gov. Nikki Haley has asked Roan Garcia-Quintana to step down from his participation on the voluntary committee. Garcia-Quintana told the campaign he would follow their wishes.

Garcia-Quintana, a Mauldin resident, attracted unwanted attention earlier this week when the Southern Poverty Law Center linked him to right-wing hate groups. In interviews, including one with Patch, the Mauldin resident had done little to soften the perception that he endorsed racial purification. 

Tim Pearson, Haley's Political Director, sent Patch the following statement on Sunday afternoon:

The Haley for Governor Grassroots Advisory Committee today asked volunteer Roan Garcia-Quintana to resign from our 164-member volunteer committee.

While we appreciate the support Roan has provided, we were previously unaware of some of the statements he had made, statements which do not well represent the views of the Governor.

There is no place for racially divisive rhetoric in the politics or governance of South Carolina, and Governor Haley has no tolerance for it.

Regrettably, Vince Sheheen and the leadership of the South Carolina Democratic Party do not share that view.  Below is a sample of race-based attacks against Governor Haley that Democratic-standard bearer Vince Sheheen has either embraced or failed to denounce.

Phil Bailey, Sheheen Advisor And Political Director Of South Carolina’s Senate Democratic Caucus, Labeled Nikki Haley The “Sikh Jesus" (BuzzFeed,
South Carolina Democrat Labels Haley “Sikh Jesus,” May 16, 2012,
http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/south-carolina-democrat-labels-haley-sikh-jesus)

SC Dem Party Chair Dick Harpootlian Compared Nikki Haley to Adolf Hitler's Girlfriend.
(The State, 8/26/2012,
http://www.thestate.com/2012/08/26/2414016/conventionblog.html)

SC Dem Party Chair Dick Harpootlian Told Crowd He Would Send “Nikki Haley Back To Wherever The Hell She Came From.” (BuzzFeed, Top South Carolina Democrat Wants To Send Nikki Haley “Wherever The Hell She Came From,” May 3, 2013,
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/top-south-carolina-wants-to-send-nikki-haley-wherever-the-he)

SC Dem Party Chair Dick Harpootlian Then Revised His Remarks, Said He Just Wanted Nikki Haley To Go Back To "A Dress Store." (Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/05/07/dick-harpootlian-nikki-haley_n_3232570.html)

State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter calls Nikki Haley a "conservative with a tan." (Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, Good Ol’ Girl, January/February 2011
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/good-ol-girl/308348/)

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