Haley, the debutante, outpointed her veteran opponent with 54.69 per cent of the votes cast to Koon's 45.31 per cent - a remarkable win, considering that she was just two years old when Koon won his first election.

Koon was so disappointed, he made a disparaging remark suggesting the voters "don't know what they got" - a comment that attracted a lot of criticism from constituents who had supported him for 30 years.

The Democrats were not contesting the seat; Haley, thus, had effectively won the seat outright. A hiccup came when Rich Bolen, a Lexington real estate attorney, filed his nomination as an independent, reasoning that voters should be given a choice on November 2.

To back his write-in candidacy, Bolen collected 1,265 signatures and submitted it to the Election Commission; however, many of the signatures were subsequently found invalid, leaving Bolen 33 signatures short of qualifying. The commission turned down his candidacy.

Bolen appealed to the Lexington circuit court and lost again, with the court upholding the commission's verdict. Thus, on November 2, Haley's will be the only name on the ballot for the seat.

The win makes Haley the first Indian woman from the Republican Party to win a state legislative seat. The American dream is still alive, the local newspaper wrote. It said Haley represents the changing face of Lexington County, which is becoming a destination of choice for immigrants because of the quality of life it offers.

"I am happy it is all over, I have already started attending legislative meetings," Haley told rediff.com "My parents are excited, my husband and children are relieved."

For Haley, a graduate of Clemson University who now runs the family clothing store Exotica, the priorities are lowering property taxes to counter rising home values, and to push for more traffic lanes and better all-round planning.

She is married to Michael Haley; the couple have two children, Rena, 5, and Nalin, 2.