In a poll conducted before yesterday's allegation of an affair surfaced, Public Policy Polling (D) found state Sen. Nikki Haley leading the Republican primary for governor.

Republican Primary Election Matchup
(638 LVs, 5/22-23, MoE +/- 3.9%)
Haley 39
McMaster 18
Barrett 16
Bauer 13
Und 14

As part of her aggressive rebuttal of a local blogger's allegation, Haley has released a new television ad featuring Sarah Palin, who calls Haley "a strong pro-family, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-development, conservative reformer." The footage was taken at a rally last week in the state.

State Sen. Vincent Sheheen has a lead over state Education Superintendent Jim Rex in the Democratic primary.

Democratic Primary Election Matchup
(410 LVs, 5/22-23, MoE +/- 4.8%)
Sheheen 36
Rex 30
Ford 11
Und 23

RCP classifies the race as Likely Republican.

--------------------------------------------
Follow the RCP Blog on Twitter.
Become a fan of RCP on Facebook.
--------------------------------------------