Nikki Haley

Nimrata NikkiRandhawa Haley is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. She is the former governor of South Carolina (2011-2017). Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations (2017-2018).

Brief biography

Nikki Haley was born into a family of immigrants from India in South Carolina.

She graduated from a private high school in Orangeburg and studied accounting at Clemson University.

Before going into politics, she worked specifically as an accountant. Since 1994, she worked for her mother's company, which was engaged in sewing high-quality clothes. Subsequently, her mother's company became successful and grew into a multi-million dollar business.

In 2003, Haley was named treasurer of the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs, and in 2004 she became president of the association.

She served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005-2010. Haley was the first Indian-American woman to hold this statewide office. She served on the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee.

In 2010 and 2014, Haley won the South Carolina gubernatorial elections and led the U.S. state until 2017.

Haley opposes abortion, proposes reforming teacher pay by evaluating not only seniority and qualifications, but also performance. She also promotes tax cuts and mandatory photo ID for elections.

In 2017, then-U.S. President Donald Trump proposed Haley's nomination to serve as United States ambassador to the United Nations. The Senate supported her nomination, with 96 out of 100 senators voting in favor.

In February 2023, Haley announced her intention to run in the 2024 presidential election. She became the first woman of non-European descent to be the Republican Party's nominee.

Support for Ukraine

Following the annexation of Crimea, Haley has been tough on supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and has stated that the island "is not Russian."

In June 2023, Haley stated that the U.S. should not stand by and supporting and winning Ukraine's war with Russia is in the U.S. interest.

Subsequently, she also advocated for continued arms shipments to Ukraine.

Family

Nikki has been married to Michael Haley, a federal employee of the U.S. Department of the Army and an officer in the South Carolina National Guard, since 1996. The couple has two children, Rena and Nalin.

Despite being born into a Sikh family, she considers herself a Christian. However, out of respect for her parents, she attends Sikh services.