Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley
Born	Nimarata Nikki Randhawa 20 1, 1972
Birthplace	Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, diplomat
Known for	116th Governor of South Carolina, 29th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Education	Clemson University (BS)
Children	2
Awards	Time 100 Most Influential People (2016)

Nimarata Nikki Randhawa Haley (born January 20, 1972) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th Governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018. Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Indian immigrant parents, Haley rose from a small-town upbringing and a career in her family's clothing business to become one of the most prominent figures in the Republican Party. She was the first woman to serve as governor of South Carolina and the first Indian American to hold a U.S. cabinet-level position. As governor, she gained national attention for her leadership during the aftermath of the 2015 Charleston church shooting and her subsequent advocacy for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds. After serving as U.N. ambassador under President Donald Trump, Haley launched a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, becoming the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary before suspending her campaign in March 2024.

Early Life

Nikki Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa on January 20, 1972, in Bamberg, South Carolina, a small rural town with a population of fewer than 4,000 people. Her parents, Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, were Sikh immigrants from Amritsar, Punjab, India. Her father, Ajit, held a biology doctorate and became a professor at Voorhees College, a historically Black institution in nearby Denmark, South Carolina. Her mother, Raj, started a gift and clothing business called Exotica International, which grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

Haley has described her childhood in Bamberg as shaped by the experience of being part of the only Indian American family in town. She was one of four siblings; she has an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother. Her older brother, Mitti, served in the United States Army. Growing up, Haley and her siblings navigated the complexities of being neither Black nor White in a Southern town that was largely divided along racial lines. In a childhood anecdote she has frequently recounted, the young Haley and her sister were disqualified from a local pageant because the contest had categories for a Black queen and a White queen, and the judges did not know how to categorize them.

From an early age, Haley was involved in her mother's business, helping with bookkeeping for Exotica International starting at the age of thirteen. This experience in the family enterprise would later inform her political emphasis on fiscal conservatism and support for small businesses. She attended Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, a local private institution, where she was active in student life and demonstrated early leadership qualities.

Education

Haley enrolled at Clemson University, where she studied accounting. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 1994. Her academic training in accounting aligned with her work in her family's business and would later serve as a foundation for her emphasis on fiscal policy during her political career. After graduating from Clemson, Haley returned to work at Exotica International, eventually becoming the company's chief financial officer.

Career

Early Business Career

Following her graduation from Clemson University, Haley worked in the waste management and recycling industry before returning to her mother's clothing business, Exotica International. She served as the company's chief financial officer and helped grow the enterprise. Her work in the private sector extended beyond the family business; she became involved with the National Association of Women Business Owners, serving first as treasurer and then as president of the organization's Lexington County chapter. This role provided Haley with her first taste of organizational leadership and connected her to a broader network of business professionals and civic leaders in South Carolina.

South Carolina House of Representatives

In 2004, Haley entered politics by running for the South Carolina House of Representatives in the 87th district. In a significant upset, she defeated the long-serving incumbent Larry Koon in the Republican primary. Koon had held the seat for more than three decades. Haley won the general election and took office on January 11, 2005.

During her three terms in the state legislature, Haley established herself as a fiscal conservative and a proponent of government transparency. She advocated for putting legislative votes on the record, a reform measure that placed her at odds with some members of her own party's leadership in the state house. Her push for transparency and accountability became a signature issue that distinguished her from other state legislators and helped build her statewide profile.

Governor of South Carolina

2010 Election

In 2010, Haley announced her candidacy for governor of South Carolina. She was initially considered a long-shot candidate in a crowded Republican primary field. However, her campaign gained momentum after she received endorsements from prominent national figures, including former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Her candidacy attracted national media attention both for her Indian American heritage and for allegations made against her during the primary, which she denied and which did not ultimately impede her campaign.

Haley won the Republican primary runoff and then defeated the Democratic nominee, state senator Vincent Sheheen, in the general election. Her victory made her the first woman elected governor of South Carolina and the second Indian American governor in the United States, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

Tenure as Governor

Haley took office on January 12, 2011, and served until January 24, 2017. Her tenure was defined by several major policy priorities and events. She focused on economic development, working to attract businesses and investment to South Carolina. During her governorship, several major manufacturers, including automobile and aerospace companies, expanded operations in the state.

One of the defining moments of Haley's governorship came in June 2015, when a white supremacist gunman killed nine African American worshippers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. In the aftermath of the shooting, Haley called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House, where it had flown since 1961. The flag had long been a source of controversy in the state, and previous attempts to remove it had failed. Haley's advocacy for its removal was seen as a pivotal moment; the South Carolina General Assembly voted to remove the flag, and it was taken down on July 10, 2015. This action garnered Haley significant national attention and bipartisan praise.

Haley was re-elected governor in 2014, winning a second term. In 2016, she was selected by Republican congressional leaders to deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. In her response, Haley struck a notably moderate tone, calling for inclusivity and cautioning against following the "siren call of the angriest voices." The speech was widely interpreted as an implicit rebuke of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric, though Haley did not name him directly.

In April 2016, Time magazine named Haley one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

On November 23, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Haley to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. The appointment was notable because Haley had been critical of Trump during the presidential campaign, and Trump had publicly attacked her on social media. Haley was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 96 to 4, indicating broad bipartisan support. She was sworn in on January 27, 2017, becoming the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet-level position.

As U.N. ambassador, Haley adopted a forceful diplomatic style and became one of the most visible members of the Trump administration on the international stage. She was a prominent advocate for Israel at the United Nations, defending the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions that the administration viewed as unfavorable to Israel.

Haley also played a central role in defending the administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and the Paris climate agreement. In June 2018, she announced the United States' withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council, citing what she described as the council's chronic bias against Israel and its inclusion of countries with poor human rights records.

During her tenure, Haley navigated a complex relationship with the State Department and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Reports indicated tensions between Haley and Tillerson over the scope of her diplomatic authority, with Haley at times appearing to operate with a degree of independence unusual for a U.N. ambassador.

In October 2018, Haley announced that she would resign from her position at the end of the year. She stepped down as U.N. ambassador on December 31, 2018, and was succeeded by Kelly Craft.

Post-Ambassadorship and Private Sector

After leaving government service, Haley returned to the private sector. She joined the boards of several corporations and remained active in Republican politics. She authored a memoir and made frequent public appearances, positioning herself as a prominent voice within the party. She also founded Stand for America, a political advocacy group.

2024 Presidential Campaign

On February 14, 2023, Haley announced her candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, becoming one of the first major candidates to enter the race against former President Donald Trump. She framed her campaign around a message of generational change, arguing that it was time for a "new generation" of leadership in the Republican Party and in the United States more broadly.

Haley's campaign gained traction after the early debates and caucuses. Following the Iowa caucuses, the Republican primary field narrowed to Haley and Trump as the only remaining major candidates. For nearly two months, Haley campaigned directly against the former president, a rare challenge to a dominant front-runner in a contested primary.

On March 3, 2024, Haley won the Washington, D.C. Republican primary, becoming the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary and the second woman of color to win a major party nominating contest, after Shirley Chisholm in 1972. She also won the Vermont primary on Super Tuesday, but lost in all other Super Tuesday contests. On March 6, 2024, Haley suspended her presidential campaign.

Haley subsequently endorsed Donald Trump for the general election. On April 15, 2024, the Hudson Institute announced that Haley would join the think tank as the next Walter P. Stern Chair.

Continued Public Commentary

Following the end of her presidential campaign, Haley remained a public figure and continued to comment on political matters. In July 2025, she publicly called for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, stating, "This is why people don't trust government." In early 2026, following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Haley issued a statement noting that "his regime kept the Cuban dictatorship afloat," aligning with the Trump administration's position on Venezuela while maintaining her independent public voice.

Personal Life

Nikki Randhawa married Michael Haley, an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, in 1996. The couple held two ceremonies — one Sikh and one Methodist — reflecting the blending of their cultural and religious backgrounds. Michael Haley served a deployment to Afghanistan in 2013 with the South Carolina National Guard while Nikki Haley was serving as governor.

The Haleys have two children: a daughter, Rena, and a son, Nalin. In December 2025, Haley became a grandmother when her daughter, Rena Haley Jackson, and son-in-law had their first child.

Haley was raised in a Sikh household but converted to Christianity, becoming a member of the United Methodist Church. She has stated that she attends both Sikh and Christian services and has maintained respect for her family's Sikh heritage.

The Haley family has resided in Lexington, South Carolina. Haley has cited her upbringing as the daughter of immigrants as formative to her worldview and her approach to politics, frequently referencing her parents' experience of building a life in the United States.

Recognition

Haley has received recognition from various organizations and publications throughout her career. In 2016, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world, citing her leadership in the aftermath of the Charleston church shooting and her role in the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds.

Her selection to deliver the Republican response to the 2016 State of the Union address was itself a mark of her standing within the party, as the response is typically given by a figure whom party leaders wish to elevate on the national stage.

As U.N. ambassador, Haley was confirmed with one of the widest margins of any Trump administration nominee, receiving 96 votes in favor, reflecting bipartisan recognition of her qualifications for the diplomatic post.

During her 2024 presidential campaign, Haley made history as the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary, with her victory in the Washington, D.C. primary. She was also recognized as the second woman of color — after Shirley Chisholm in 1972 — to win a major party presidential nominating contest.

Her appointment to the Hudson Institute as the Walter P. Stern Chair in April 2024 reflected her continued prominence in foreign policy and national security circles following her presidential campaign.

Legacy

Nikki Haley's political career is notable for several historic firsts. She was the first woman to serve as governor of South Carolina, the first Indian American to hold a cabinet-level position in a presidential administration, and the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary. Her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants in the American South has made her a frequently discussed figure in conversations about diversity within the Republican Party and in American politics more broadly.

Her decision to advocate for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds in 2015 remains one of the most consequential actions of her governorship. The removal, accomplished through legislative action in the wake of the Charleston church shooting, marked a turning point in a decades-long debate in the state and influenced similar discussions in other Southern states.

As U.N. ambassador, Haley's tenure was marked by a more assertive posture toward international organizations and a strong alignment with the Trump administration's "America First" approach to foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel, Iran, and multilateral agreements. Her departure from the administration in 2018, conducted on amicable terms with President Trump, was unusual for a high-profile member of the Trump cabinet.

Haley's 2024 presidential campaign, while ultimately unsuccessful, demonstrated the extent of her appeal within segments of the Republican electorate that sought an alternative to Trump. Her ability to remain the last major challenger to Trump in the primary field, and to win contests in Washington, D.C., and Vermont, established her as one of the more formidable Republican primary challengers in recent cycles.

Her continued public engagement on matters of foreign policy and government transparency suggests an ongoing role in American political discourse. As of early 2026, she holds the Walter P. Stern Chair at the Hudson Institute and continues to comment on national and international affairs.