Governor Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) – a Tea Party favorite – held nothing back about tonight’s first debate in the 2012 race for the GOP presidential nomination in a hard-hitting interview with The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Here’s what she and her constituents will be looking for in tonight’s contest in Columbia sponsored by the South Carolina Republican Party and Fox News:

 

“What we want to hear is how do they feel [about] the debt ceiling. What are they going to do with the fact that we’re having to deal with bullying labor unions? How are they going to handle gas prices? What are they going to do in light of the death of Osama bin Laden?”

 

Just to put this in context, Governor Haley’s endorsement is crucial for any 2012 GOP hopeful. Since 1980, no Republican nominee has succeeded without carrying South Carolina — in line to be the third state in next year’s presidential contest, and the first in the South.