Nimarata Nikki Haley is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018 and as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017.
Haley, an individual affiliated with the Republican Party, holds the distinction of being the inaugural Indian American to hold a cabinet position during a presidential term. She has declared her candidacy for the Republican Party presidential primaries of 2024.
Haley entered the apparel industry through her family’s enterprise before becoming the National Association of Women Business Owners’ treasurer and then president. She was elected to serve three terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004. During her third term in office in 2010, she was sworn in as the governor of South Carolina.
Haley became the first female governor of South Carolina and the second governor of Indian descent to lead the United States after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. She garnered nationwide recognition during her tenure as governor due to her leadership of the state’s response to the 2015 church massacre in Charleston.
Early Life and Family of Nikki Haley
At Bamberg County Hospital in Bamberg, South Carolina, Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa to Sikh immigrants from Amritsar, Punjab, India. Her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, obtained her legal degree from the University of Delhi, while her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, taught at Punjab Agricultural University.
In 1964, her parents moved to Canada from India when Ajit was offered a scholarship by the University of British Columbia. Following his doctorate in 1969, he and his family relocated to Denmark, South Carolina, where he worked as a biology professor at Voorhees College, a historically black university.
Haley is the sister of two brothers. She completed her education at Orangeburg Preparatory Schools in 1989. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Clemson University in 1994. Since her birth, Haley has gone by her middle name, Nikki, which is a Punjabi name that means “little one”.
Personal Life of Nikki Haley
Michael Haley and Haley were wed on September 7, 1996. Both Methodist and Sikh rituals were used in their celebrations. The two children of the couple are Rena (born in 1998) and Nalin (born in 2001).
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In 1997, Haley gave her life to Christianity. She frequently goes to the United Methodist Church with her spouse. Once or twice a year, she also goes to Sikh services. When she traveled to India in 2014, she and her spouse paid a visit to the Harmandir Sahib. When asked if she hopes her parents become Christians during an interview with Christianity Today, Haley said, “What I hope is that my parents do what’s right for them.”
In 2013, her spouse, an officer in the Army National Guard of South Carolina, served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Haley lives close to Charleston, South Carolina, on Kiawah Island with her family.
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In 2019, Haley’s estimated net worth was $1 million. By 2022, her projected net worth had increased to $8 million, partly due to book sales and her appointment to the corporate boards of United Homes Group and Boeing.
Governor of South Carolina
Haley was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, garnering support from prominent members of the Tea Party movement, including Sarah Palin. Haley was accused of infidelity and subjected to racial slurs during her acrimonious campaign, but she prevailed over more seasoned opponents in the primary and continued on to secure the general election.
She established historical records by becoming the first woman and the first member of an ethnic minority to assume the governorship in 2011. Amidst a decline in the unemployment rate, South Carolina’s economy experienced consistent growth throughout her inaugural term. Reelection was a breeze for Haley in 2014.
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On the contrary, she was appointed by President-elect Trump to the position of United States ambassador to the United Nations in November 2016. Senate approval of her by a narrow margin of 96 to 4 in January 2017 notwithstanding her limited experience in foreign policy. She tendered her resignation as governor of South Carolina immediately thereafter.
2024 Presidential Campaign
After demonstrating her political acumen, Haley became a formidable rival to Trump, who continued to command a significant lead in polls. In January 2024, the Iowa caucuses were held. Trump easily won, with Haley coming in third.
After then, several contenders pulled out of the race, leaving the former president and Haley as the only contenders remaining. A week later, there was conjecture going into the New Hampshire primary that Haley would prevail. She is behind Trump by 11 percentage points, though. She insisted that the race was still “far from over” despite the underwhelming performance.