Nikki Haley

Nimarata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; 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. A member of the Republican Party, Haley is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. She is a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.

Haley joined her family's clothing business before serving as treasurer and then president of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004 and served three terms. In 2010, during her third term, she was elected governor of South Carolina. Haley was South Carolina's first female governor and the second U.S. governor of Indian descent, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. During her time as governor, she received national attention for leading the state's response to the 2015 Charleston church shooting.

In January 2017, Haley resigned as governor to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of Donald Trump. The U.S. Senate confirmed her by a vote of 96–4. She stepped down as ambassador on December 31, 2018.

Haley announced her campaign for President of the United States in February 2023. After the Iowa caucuses, Haley and Trump became the only remaining major candidates in the Republican primaries.