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Nikki Haley

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Nikki Haley
116th Governor of South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 12, 2011
LieutenantKen Ard
Preceded byMark Sanford
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 87th district
In office
January 3, 2005 – November 8, 2010
Preceded byLarry Koon
Succeeded byTodd Atwater
Personal details
Born (1972-01-20) January 20, 1972 (age 52)
Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMichael Haley
Children2
ResidenceLexington, South Carolina[1]
Alma materClemson University
ProfessionAccountant
WebsiteOfficial website

Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley (born January 20, 1972) is the 116th and current Governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Haley represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.[4]

In the 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election, Haley was endorsed for the Republican nomination by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford, and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.[5][6][7] On June 8, 2010, she finished first in the four-way Republican primary election with 49% of the vote, but fell short of the 50% required to avoid a runoff election. Haley won the runoff on June 22 with 65%,[8] and proceeded to win the general election by a 51–47% margin.

Haley is the first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country. At the age of 52, Haley is the youngest current governor in the U.S., a distinction formerly held by Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal.[9][10]

Early life, education and career

Haley was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa[11] in Bamberg, South Carolina on January 20, 1972. Her parents, Dr. Ajit and Raj Randhawa, are Sikh immigrants from Amritsar, Punjab, India. She has two brothers, Mitti and Charan, and a sister, Simran.[12] Haley is a graduate of Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, and later of Clemson University with a B.S. in accounting[13] and joined the FCR Corporation (a waste management and recycling company),[14][15] before joining her mother's business, Exotica International, an upscale clothing firm, in 1994.[16] The family business grew to a multi-million dollar company.[16]

Haley was named to the Board of Directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce in 1998.[1] She was named to the Board of Directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003 and president in 2004.[1] She chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for the local hospital.[16] She also serves on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, West Metro Republican Women, President of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chairman for 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign and is a member of the Rotary Club in Lexington.[17]

State legislature

Elections

In 2004, she ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives for a district in Lexington County. She faced incumbent representative Larry Koon in the Republican primary. Koon, who had served since 1975, was the longest-serving member of the House. In the primary election, Haley won 40% of the vote (2,247 votes) to Koon's 42% (2,354 votes), thus forcing a runoff.[18] Her platform was anti-tax and fiscally conservative with an emphasis on education.[19] In the runoff, Haley won with 54.7% (2,928 votes) of the total. She then ran unopposed for the House seat; no Democrat even filed in this heavily Republican district. She became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.[20][21]

She was unopposed for reelection in 2006,[22] and defeated Democrat Edgar Gomez with 83 percent of the vote in 2008.[23]

Tenure

Haley served as secretary of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs committees. She also was elected chairman of the freshman caucus in 2005 and elected as majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly.[17] She was the only freshman legislator named to a whip spot.[24]

Awards

  • 2005 "Friend of the Taxpayer" – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
  • 2006
    • "Palmetto Leadership Award" – South Carolina Policy Council (a limited-government advocacy group)
    • "Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award" – South Carolina federation of Republican Women
  • 2009 "Friend of the Taxpayer" – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
  • 2010 "Taxpayer Hero" – South Carolina Club for Growth
  • 2011 "India Abroad Person of the Year 2010" – India Abroad

Voting Record

Abortion Issues

Haley is pro-life and consistently votes for bills denying women's rights over their bodies. She has also voted on bills that protect pregnant women's rights in extreme circumstances in which abortion might be necessary to save the woman's life. Some bills that Haley has voted on and that were passed are the Penalties for Harming an Unborn Child/Fetus, Pre-Abortion Ultrasound, and the 24 Hour Waiting Period for Abortions. The Penalties for Harming an Unborn Child/Fetus says that any act of violence against an unborn human is like a criminal act against the mother. The Pre-abortion Ultrasound requires the woman considering an abortion to look at an ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion. In addition, the 24 Hour Waiting Period for Abortions requires the woman to wait one day from the time of the ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion. Nikki Haley voted yes for all of these bills, which were passed by the legislature. However, Haley also voted yes on some bills that were tabled or rejected relating to abortion, including the Inclusion of Unborn Child/Fetus in Definition for Civil Suits Amendment, Prohibiting Employment Termination Due to Abortion Waiting Period, and Exempting Cases of Rape from Abortion Waiting Period. The Exempting cases of Rape from Abortion Waiting Period would have allowed specific cases of women to not have to wait the mandatory 24 hours before having an abortion.[25]

Taxation Issues

One of Haley's stated goals is to lower taxes. Haley voted against a bill to override the governor's veto (when Mark Sanford was still in office) to place a surtax on every cigarette produced. The funds earned would be appropriated to smoking prevention programs and cancer research related to smoking.[26] She voted for a bill that raised sales taxes to six percent. The bill exempted sales tax on unprepared food such as canned goods. The same bill also exempts property tax on 'owner-occupied residential property' except for the taxes due from what is still owed on the property.[27]

Immigration Issues

Nikki Haley, the daughter of legal immigrants, has stated she believes the immigration laws should be enforced. She voted in favor of the law that requires employers to be able to prove that any newly hired employees are legal residents of the United States, and also requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving that they are legally in the United States. The law was adopted, but is currently the subject of a lawsuit initiated by the United States Justice Department on numerous grounds, including claims the immigration law violates the Supremacy Clause. Rob Godfrey, a spokesman for Nikki Haley, said, "If the feds were doing their job, we wouldn't have had to address illegal immigration reform at the state level. But, until they do, we're going to keep fighting in South Carolina to be able to enforce our laws."[28]

Education Policies

Nikki Haley has a conservative stance on education and how it should be done more effectively for the money that is being put into it (in South Carolina). One of her goals as governor is to stop the wasting of money and to redirect it to students and teachers. She believes that no community should be ignored and that every student should be offered the same opportunity for a quality education. She wants to see South Carolina move to the top of the charts in the United States, but to do that, the education in South Carolina needs reform. She has proposed a plan that would determine a teacher's salary not only based on the number and type of degree they have, but on performance as a teacher. Their performance would be determined by evaluations and reports from people directly involved with the teacher, like the principal, students and parents.[29] On her gubernatorial campaign, Haley said that she would be in favor of school choice and also wanted to see more charter schools develop. She wants charter schools to effectively be run by teachers and parents and to also shrink the South Carolina Department of Education. She believes that much of the wasteful spending happens because the money sits too long in the department before ever getting to students and teachers.[30]

Economic policies

Nikki Haley takes a conservative stance on economics, supporting low taxes and opposing regulation. In inviting business to move to South Carolina she has said:

"What I'm saying is, if you come to South Carolina, the cost of doing business is going to be low here. We are go going to make sure that you have a loyal, willing workforce and we are going to be one of the lowest union-participation states in the country."[31][32]

"Little girl" Incident

Following a trip to Europe to meet with potential companies that might invest in South Carolina and create jobs, Haley was criticized for the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on the trip. Over $127,000 was spent over the duration of the weeklong trip. She was criticized for spending the money on what seemed to some as unnecessary luxuries like five star hotels. A female reporter from The Post and Courier of Charleston asked Haley about an article that had criticized her trip and spending. On "The Laura Ingraham Show" Haley said, "God bless that little girl at The Post and Courier. I mean her job is to try and create conflict. My job is to create jobs. In the end I'm going to have jobs to show for it." Haley was then attacked by many for, what she later admitted were, her poor choice of words.[33]

2010 campaign for Governor

Main article: South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2010
County-by-county results

On May 14, 2009, Haley announced that she would be running for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina in 2010.[5] On November 11, 2009, she was endorsed by Jenny Sanford, the incumbent first lady of South Carolina, as well as former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[6][7][34] However, she remained in last place among primary candidates in the polls and also in fundraising until former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin endorsed her.[citation needed] The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on June 8, 2010, and Haley captured 49% of the vote, necessitating a runoff election on June 22.[35] Haley won handily in the runoff vote.[36]

In October 2010 South Carolina pollster Crantford & Associates reported Haley barely edging Democratic challenger Vincent Sheheen in general election polling 45% to 41%.[37]

Haley is also part of the Tea Party movement.[38][39]

Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010 over the Democratic candidate, Vincent Sheheen 51% to 47%.[40]

Personal life

Haley was born and raised as a Sikh. On September 6, 1996 she married Michael Haley in both a Methodist church ceremony and a Sikh gurdwara.[41] Haley identifies herself today as a Christian,[42] but attends both Sikh and Methodist services out of respect for her parents' culture.[38][43] She sits on the board for Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church.[44]

Michael is a federal employee with the United States Department of the Army and an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard.[45] Nikki and Michael have two children, Rena (12 yrs old) and Nalin (9 yrs old).[46][47] Haley's brother Mitti is an active duty officer who has served in the U.S. Army for the past 20 years.[48]

References

  1. ^ a b c Representative Nikki Randhawa Haley - South Carolina General Assembly
  2. ^ "Meet Nikki Haley". Nikkihaley.com. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  3. ^ Drake, Bruce. "Nikki Haley Under Fire, Stresses Christian Faith Over Sikh Heritage". Politicsdaily.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  4. ^ "Belles of the South". Audrey. April–May 2006.
  5. ^ a b O'Conner, John (May 14, 2009). "Rep. Haley announces bid to become state's first female governor". The State. (Columbia, SC).
  6. ^ a b Kraushaar, Josh (March 16, 2010). "Romney backs Haley in S.C." Politico.
  7. ^ a b Palin, Sarah (May 14, 2010). "Shaking it up in South Carolina with Nikki Haley". Facebook.
  8. ^ "Haley Wins South Carolina GOP Runoff For Governor". NPR. June 22, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  9. ^ Phillips, Jack (November 3, 2010). "Nikki Haley First Indian-American Gov. of South Carolina". The Epoch Times. New York. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  10. ^ Fausset, Richard (November 2, 2010). "Nikki Haley bests Vincent Sheheen for South Carolina governor". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ Dewan, Shaila; Brown, Robbie (June 13, 2010). "All Her Life, Nikki Haley Was the Different One". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |separator= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Raj Randhawa Takes Her Family Business from Strength to Strength - NRI Achievers
  13. ^ Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune (2010-06-12). "Nikki Haley: Daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants destined to be South Carolina Governor". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 2011-07-25. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ MANTA, http://www.manta.com/c/mmn2jpk/fcr-inc
  15. ^ Hoovers.com, http://www.hoovers.com/companyindex/North_Carolina/Charlotte/Waste_Management_and_Remediation_Services-1.html
  16. ^ a b c Nikki Haley in runoff for South Carolina Assembly Republican Primaries Indian American Center for Political Awareness - 2004
  17. ^ a b Representative Nikki Randhawa Haley Bio - Official Site
  18. ^ NRI Nikki Randhawa-Haley eyes South Carolina assembly NRIInternet
  19. ^ Nikki Randhawa wins in S Carolina NRI Internet - November 3, 2004
  20. ^ Washington June 10, 2004: Nikki Randhawa, NRI, Sikh Busimess woman won the run-off election to the South Carolina State Assembly NRI Internet - June 10, 2004
  21. ^ Nikki Randhawa set to get US House berth The Tribune (India), June 25, 2004 (Note that the Tribune headline is in error. In 2004, Haley was set to win election to the state legislature, not to Congress.)
  22. ^ "November 7 2006 South Carolina State Wide General Election Official Results: State House of Representatives District 087". South Carolina Election Returns. SCIWAY.net. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  23. ^ "State House of Representatives District 87". 2008 General Election. SCIWAY.net. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  24. ^ Sikh American woman is Republican whip The Tribune, Chandigarh - January 18, 2006
  25. ^ "ProjectVoteSmart". Legislation: Nikki Haley. One Common Ground, Philipsburg, MT 59858. Retrieved 11/3/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ "Budget Spending and Taxes". Cigarette Tax. Retrieved 11/04/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  27. ^ "Project Vote Smart". Sales and Property Taxes. Retrieved 11/10/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ "Immigration Law". U.S. Sues South Carolina. Retrieved 11/10/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ "Nikki Haley Governor". South Carolina Education. Retrieved 11/10/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ "Nikki Haley Unveils Education Plan". Retrieved 11/10/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/nikki-haley-south-carolinas-hard-charging-gop-governor/2011/11/28/gIQA10vhwO_story.html Nikki Haley picks Romney, but can they help each other?] Ned Martel . washingtonpost.com . 15 December 2011
  32. ^ Romney ... Receives Haley Nod
  33. ^ "Little Girl Incident". Retrieved 11/10/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  34. ^ Barr, Andy (2009-11-11). "Jenny Sanford endorses in gov race". Politico.
  35. ^ "Sordid S.C. governor's race heads to runoff". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. June 9, 2010.
  36. ^ "AP: Republicans tap Haley for gov, make history". The State. Columbia, SC. June 22, 2010.
  37. ^ "Election 2010: South Carolina Governor - Crantford & Associates". http://www.indigojournal.com. Retrieved 2010-10-02. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ a b Campo, Arian (2010-07-03). "Woman On the Verge". Newsweek.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  39. ^ "Tea partiers ascend in many states". Salon.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  40. ^ "Nikki Haley to be state's first female governor". The Pickens Sentinel. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  41. ^ Dewan, Shaila; Brown, Robbie (June 13, 2010). "In South Carolina Governor's Race, Nikki Haley Focuses on Similarities". The New York Times.
  42. ^ Nikki Haley for South Carolina Governor. "Question: Is Nikki a Christian?". Truth in Facts. NikkiHaley.com. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  43. ^ O'Connor, John (June 4, 2010). "S.C. state Sen. Knotts uses racial slur against Haley". The Miami Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved June 8, 2010. [dead link]
  44. ^ "Meet Nikki Haley". Nikkihaley.com. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  45. ^ "Haley plans to work with legislators - 2010 Race for the Governor". The State. Columbia, SC. 2010-06-18. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  46. ^ "Home". Governor.sc.gov. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  47. ^ "Republicans tap Haley for gov, make history". The State. Columbia, SC. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  48. ^ Rucker, Philip. "44 - Nikki Haley: 10 things you didn't know about the S.C. Republican". Voices.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
South Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Larry Koon
 Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 87th district
2005–2010 		Succeeded by
Todd Atwater
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of South Carolina
2010 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of South Carolina
2011–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Vice President Order of Precedence of the United States
Within South Carolina 		Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Preceded byas Governor of Maryland Order of Precedence of the United States
Outside South Carolina 		Succeeded byas Governor of New Hampshire

Template:Persondata

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