Hail Haley

On Tuesday, Bill Kristol called for a Haley/Peterson 2012 presidential ticket. Today, Rasmussen released a poll that shows Haley with a commanding lead for the first time in the Republican primary for governor of South Carolina. Coincidence?

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary voters shows Haley earning 30% support. She’s followed by State Attorney General Henry McMaster who picks up 19% and Congressman Gresham Barrett with 17%. Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer captures 12% of the vote.

Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, but nearly one-in-five potential primary voters (18%) remain undecided.

The new findings mark a dramatic turn of events for Haley who ran fourth in March with just 12% support. McMaster earned 21% of the vote at that time, with Bauer at 17% and Barrett at 14%.

Okay, Haley might have been helped just a bit by endorsements from Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, too. The primary election is on June 8.