( CNN ) -- Voters in three states head to the polls Tuesday , and in one of those states history might be made : . South Carolina . South Carolina Republicans could make state Rep. Nikki Haley their first female gubernatorial nominee . She 's in a runoff against U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett . Haley just missed out on winning the nomination outright in the June 8 primary , capturing 49 percent of the vote in a four-candidate field . She was short of the 50 percent plus one needed to take the nomination . Once facing long odds for the GOP nomination , Haley rose in the polls thanks in part to endorsements by former Massachusetts Gov . Mitt Romney and former Alaska Gov . Sarah Palin . And unsubstantiated allegations by two other Republicans that they had affairs with Haley , who is married with children , most likely helped rather than hurt her campaign . So did a racial slur by a Republican state lawmaker at Haley , who is Indian-American and was raised Sikh , but became a Methodist at age 24 . `` The unproven allegations and attacks against Haley actually played right into her message as a new kind of conservative , '' said CNN political producer Peter Hamby , who is in South Carolina reporting on the campaign . `` In fighting back , she was able to argue that establishment figures in the GOP were playing politics as usual and trying to stop a real reformer from taking charge in Columbia . '' If Haley wins Tuesday 's runoff , she 'll be considered the favorite in the general election against state Sen. Vincent Sheheen , the Democratic gubernatorial nominee . Haley would become the Palmetto state 's first woman governor if elected in November . There are also runoffs in South Carolina in contests for the House of Representatives and for the state Legislature . State Rep. Tim Scott hopes to become the first black Republican to win election to Congress from South Carolina in a century . He faces off against Paul Thurmond , the son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond , in a GOP House primary runoff . Republican Rep. Bob Inglis is hoping he wo n't become the third House incumbent to lose a bid for re-election so far this primary season . He grabbed 27 percent of the vote in the primary and now faces a runoff against Spartanburg prosecutor Trey Gowdy . Inglis is facing criticism for his vote in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program , or TARP , better known as the Wall Street bailout . North Carolina . In neighboring North Carolina , Secretary of State Elaine Marshall faces off in a Democratic Senate primary runoff against former state Sen. Cal Cunningham , who was recruited by national Democrats . The winner will challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr in November 's general election . `` Richard Burr does n't have the strongest poll numbers , but that may not matter , '' said Stuart Rothenberg , publisher and editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report . Rothenberg said neither of the Democratic candidates `` seems likely to put together the kind of campaign that would defeat Burr . '' Voters in three congressional districts and one state Senate district also will cast ballots in runoff contests . Utah . The fight for the GOP Senate nomination is capturing the spotlight in Utah , and the contest will be another test of the political strength of the Tea Party Express . The national Tea Party group , which is based in California , is backing and assisting lawyer Mike Lee in the battle to succeed fellow Republican Bob Bennett , who is supporting the other candidate on the ballot , businessman Tim Bridgewater . Bridgewater and Lee finished first and second , respectively last month at the Utah Republican Party convention , advancing to Tuesday 's primary . Bridgewater and Lee touted themselves as more reliable conservatives than Bennett , who finished third in the voting by delegates , eliminating him from advancing to the primary and ending his chances of re-election for a fourth term . Bennett became the first sitting senator to go down to defeat in a primary season marked by strong anti-incumbent sentiment . The Tea Party Express , best known for its three national bus tours , is running radio ads supporting Lee . The group recently pumped more than $ 500,000 into the recent fight for the Republican Senate nomination in Nevada , helping transform ex-state lawmaker Sharron Angle , once considered a long shot , into an easy winner in this month 's primary election . FreedomWorks also has endorsed Lee , and its volunteers are assisting in get-out-the-vote efforts in Utah . FreedomWorks is a nonprofit conservative organization that helps train volunteer activists and has provided much of the organizational heft behind the Tea Party movement . Bennett upset many conservatives with his 2007 vote for President Bush 's plan for a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and his 2008 vote for the federal bailout of banks and financial institutions . The fiscally conservative Club for Growth actively worked to defeat Bennett , as did local Tea Party organizations and Tea Party Express . The GOP dominates statewide elections in Utah , and the winner of the Republican primary will be considered the overwhelming favorite to win the general election in November .
North Carolina Republicans will vote in gubernatorial runoff Tuesday . Democratic Rep. Nikki Haley just missed an outright win in the August 8 primary . Winner of North Carolina 's Democratic Senate runoff will face Sen. Richard Burr in fall . In Utah , Tea Party Express is backing lawyer Mike Lee in the battle to succeed Bob Bennett .