Image by Sheheen for Governor

In a surprise move The Charleston Mercury, the salmon-colored paper known for being so Republican that it actually bleeds into the paper's newsprint, has endorsed Vincent Sheheen over Nikki Haley.

They said, in part, "An elected leader must lead by example, and the record demonstrates that Nikki Haley simply cannot walk the same walk that she demands of state government. ... We believe that a conservative Democrat will work quite well with the GOP leadership we fully expect to keep; he will also be wary of those who think the state’s environment is an afterthought."

Read the full endorsement here.

Sheheen already has the usually Republican endorsement from the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.

We'll keep you posted with other noteworthy endorsements as they come.

Keep up with election stories on our topic page.