| Nikki Haley | |
|---|---|
| |
| 116th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office January 12, 2011 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Ken Ard Glenn F. McConnell Yancey McGill Henry McMaster |
| Preceded by | Mark Sanford |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Bryant |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 87th District | |
| In office January 11, 2005 – January 11, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Koon |
| Succeeded by | Todd Atwater |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 20, 1972 Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Haley (m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Religion | Methodist |
Nimrata "Nikki" Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American, businesswoman, author, and politician. A Republican, Haley is a former South Carolina state legislator, a former governor of South Carolina, and currently a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination. She was the first female governor of South Carolina and is the first Sikh American to serve as governor in the United States.
First elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004, Haley served three terms. In 2010, during her third term, she was elected governor of South Carolina and won re-election in 2014.
In 2015, Haley signed legislation calling for the removal of the Confederate flag from the State Capitol. She was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.
Haley was term-limited in 2018, and could not seek a third term as governor. During the latter half of her second term, she became noted for her outspoken criticism of the Biden Administration, and announced her presidential campaign shortly after leaving office. Initially polling in the lower to middling range of candidates, Haley gradually climbed in the polls, placing consistently in the top five candidates nationwide, alongside 2016 Nominee Donald Trump, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Despite placing third and fourth in the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary respectively, Haley won a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, taking the lead in both pledged delegates and the popular vote. She subsequently won a plurality of pledged delegates on Super Tuesday, winning several states including California and Texas.
On April 29, 2020, Haley became the presumptive Republican nominee, with the withdrawal of Donald Trump from the race.