South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley

Nikki Randhawa Haley was elected the 116th Governor of South Carolina on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

Nikki quickly gained the reputation as one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in state government. As a virtual unknown in 2004, she beat the longest serving state legislator in a Republican primary to represent the 87th District in Lexington County. In 2008, Representative Haley’s constituents sent her back to the Statehouse with 83 percent of the vote – the highest percentage earned by any lawmaker facing a contested South Carolina election that year. She won the Republican Party nomination for governor on Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

In appreciation for her work to cut taxes and slow the growth of government spending, Nikki was named “Friend of the Taxpayer” (2009) by the S.C. Association of Taxpayers and a “Taxpayer Hero” (2005) by Gov. Mark Sanford. Nikki received the Palmetto Leadership Award from the S.C. Policy Council for her policy matters expertise and the Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award from the S.C. Federation of Republican Women for the outstanding constituent service she provided to her district. She has lifetime “A” ratings from the South Carolina Club for Growth, the Palmetto Family Council, and the National Rifle Association.

Nikki pushed for smaller, more efficient government, fought wasteful spending, and led the fight for accountability and transparency that, before her arrival, was sorely lacking in the Legislature. She has set the standard in Columbia with her conservative leadership and unwavering commitment to the taxpayers’ bottom line.

Born in Bamberg, S.C., Nikki is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and her first job was keeping the books for her family’s clothing store – at the age of 13. She graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. degree in accounting. Following her graduation, Nikki worked as Accounting Supervisor for the Charlotte, N.C. based corporation FCR, Inc. and five of its subsidiaries. She then went back to her family’s business, where she oversaw its growth into a multi-million dollar operation.

Nikki’s husband Michael is a full time federal technician with the South Carolina National Guard and an officer in the Army National Guard. Both attend Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington.

Nikki and Michael have two children, Rena, 13, and Nalin, 10.