Gov. Nikki Haley 2010 Affair Allegations Resurface

Three-year-old allegations of an affair between a state lobbyist and Gov. Nikki Haley are resurfacing.

Divorce papers filed last week by Larry Marchant's wife claim the lobbyist had a June 2010 affair with a woman "well-known" to the citizens of South Carolina, according to media reports, including The State's. Haley is not named in the divorce papers.

Marchant, while working for Haley's Republican challenger Andre Bauer in 2010, filed an affadavit claiming that he had had a one-night stand with then-Rep. Haley in Salt Lake City in June 2010.

Haley vehemently denied those allegations, claiming they were politically motivated. Marchant left the Bauer campaign soon after the allegations.

But Jennifer Marchant's divorce filings last week have forced the "other woman" allegations to return at a bad time for Haley. Her reelection campaign and announcement for November 2014 could be just weeks away. Many have suggested she will face both Republican primary and Democratic opposition to keep her governor's office.

One detail that could land in Haley's favor is a date difference between the filings. Marchant's affidavit said the affair occured on June 14-15, 2010. But Jennifer Marchant's divorce papers say the affair she is referred to happened on or about June 2, 2010.

Marchant's 2010 affidavit came just days after another one filed by Will Folks, a former Gov. Mark Sanford staffer who documented an alleged affair with Haley at the request of the S.C. Conservatives for Truth in Politics. 

Haley has denied both allegations for the past three years. The governor's office on Friday refused to respond to the allegations.

Marchant didn't have much to say when he spoke this week with online political site Fitsnews, a site managed by Folks.