U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy

The 48-year-old former solicitor appears to be the second choice on the list.

Like Scott, he also has strong conservative credentials and won with Tea Party backing in 2010. Experts differed on whether Gowdy has enough name recognition, though they agreed he knows how to handle controversy due to his time as a prosecutor.

Still, Haley could use the Lowcountry support that she could gain by naming Scott more than the Upstate support that she would get by naming Gowdy, said GOP strategist Chip Felkel of Greenville.

Also, “It’s no secret that Trey has found D.C. to be frustrating,” Felkel said.

What he said: Gowdy was not available for comment, his spokesman said.

Henry McMaster

McMaster’s candidacy lost luster when Haley said she would not appoint a placeholder to the Senate, someone who would agree not run for the seat in 2014.

“If her problem is with the Tea Party, then Henry would be a difficult choice,” Felkel said.

“He is about as establishment Republican as you could get,” McAlister said. He added that McMaster, who is the only finalist to win statewide office, does not appear as conservative to some because “he might not as flaunt it as much as others.” McMaster, who threw his support to Haley after he lost to her in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary, has the maturity and experience to the hold the office, McAlister said. He is the oldest finalist at 65.

What he said: McMaster continues to decline to comment.

Jenny Sanford

The conventional wisdom is that the name of the former first lady, who backed Haley’s gubernatorial run, is being floated to aid her future entry into politics — likely as a candidate for Scott’s 1st District congressional seat if he is promoted.

“It’s a nice gesture given what she has been through,” Tompkins said of the former first lady who divorced then-Gov. Mark Sanford after he had an affair. “But she has no direct political experience.”

Sanford, 50, is touted for running her ex-husband’s campaigns and being a de facto chief of staff in the governor’s office.

“She has sympathy and popularity, but this is circle-the-wagons time in the Senate, and voters are looking for toughness and experience,” Clemson University political scientist David Woodard said. “Running campaigns and dealing with (Democratic U.S. Senate leaders) Dick Durbin and Harry Reid are two different things.”

What she said: “If asked, I’d seriously consider accepting the offer,” Sanford told The Associated Press. “I’m honored to be on such a list.”

Catherine Templeton

The Charleston lawyer has been appointed by Haley to run two state departments — Health and Environmental Control and Labor, Licensing and Regulation, where she made cuts and other pro-business decisions, McAlister said.

The 41-year-old, who declined to move to Columbia when named to the state posts, reportedly has interest in statewide office but appointing her “would raise a lot of questions about the motivation of the governor,” Tompkins said, which is problematic for a first-term governor with sub-50 percent approval ratings. Also, like Sanford, the Senate at this time is not suited for a political newcomer.

“This is nothing like the typical appointment that briefly gets a lot attention and then things can go quiet,” McAlister said. “The country could come apart at the seams soon. There is no learning curve on this one.”

What she said: Efforts to reach Templeton were unsuccessful.