Nikki Haley, a rising Republican star, announced her bid for the 2024 United States presidential race on Feb.14, 2023, providing former president Donald Trump’s first primary challenge.
Nikki Haley, also known as Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, grew up in an Indian immigrant household in Bamberg, South Carolina. Her family owned a gift store, where Randhawa was a bookkeeper since the age of 13. Her parents emphasized a strong work ethic and never submitting to grievances. As a “brown girl growing up in a black and white world,” she rejected the notion that America is “flawed, rotten and full of hate.” With hard work, Randhawa went on to study accounting at Clemson University, where she met her husband, Michael Haley. The two married in 1996 and started their family.
In 2004, Haley sparked her political career by running to represent District 87 of Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Her campaign emphasized tax cuts, immigration controls, abortion restrictions and education reforms. She unseated incumbent Larry Koon, the longest-serving legislator in the state house, in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election, becoming the first Indian-American elected representative in South Carolina.
After serving for over four years, she announced her candidacy for the 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial race, facing U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett, State Attorney General Henry McMaster and Lieutenant Governor André Bauer. As a fresh voice, Haley won the Republican primary with the endorsement of other political heavyweights including Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin and beat democratic candidate Vincent Sheheen in the general election.
Governor Haley worked on reducing the cost of business and increasing capital investments in the state. To attract manufacturing jobs, she limited South Carolina’s union-participation to create over 400,000 jobs during her tenure.
Administratively, she mandated transparency for state legislators’ voting records to allow for public scrutiny. In the wake of a horrific church shooting that killed nine African Americans, Haley pressed the prosecutor to seek the death penalty for the shooter, Dylann Roof. She proceeded to attend the funerals of all victims. In addition, she mobilized bipartisan support, including that of segregationist Strom Thurmond’s son, to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol.
2012 Vice Presidential speculations thrust Haley further into the national spotlight. This rumor, however, dispersed quickly. Her national profile was cemented by delivering the 2016 Republican State of the Union response. While she praised former President Obama’s barrier-breaking election, Haley’s speech soon took a critical turn on the country’s economic and national security standing.
In 2017, popular second-term governor Haley stepped down to join the Trump administration as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador Haley criticized North Korea’s nuclear program and supported the U.S.’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran. She repeatedly denounced Russia’s interference in U.S. elections and the Crimean conflict. Haley, at times, contradicted the administration’s official position. Notably, she broke ranks with President Trump on the “Muslim ban,” calling it “un-American.” In 2019, Haley resigned from her post for personal reasons, drawing praise from then-President Trump for having done a “fantastic job.” She later joined the board of directors of Boeing.
In her 2024 presidential campaign, Haley calls for a new generation of leaders. Her campaign champions fiscal responsibility, a secure border and strong national pride.
As the former UN Ambassador, Haley vows to combat the influence of China and Russia worldwide. She endorses cutting foreign aid to adversary nations: Iraq, Pakistan, China, Zimbabwe and Cuba. Haley fully supports Ukraine’s effort to defend its sovereignty but argues for equipment rather than monetary support.
On the domestic front, Haley urges for congressional term limits and a competency test for candidates over the age of 75, which includes Trump and Biden. She also supports Senator Lindsey Graham’s 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and pregnancies that threaten maternal health. Haley believes in opt-in parental consent for discussing sexuality in third grade, a step further than the Florida Parental Right in Education Act.
Economically, she criticizes the Republican and Democratic parties for the inflation and debt crisis, calling for more action to combat these issues. As a capitalist, she also denounces “bailouts and handouts” policies by the current administration.
For the past decade, many political commentators have tapped Haley as a future star of the GOP. Her message today is, “I am that future.” After all, she has never lost a race in her political career. However, it remains to be seen whether or not her stardom can translate into the votes necessary to beat her former boss.
