Many Indians settled in the United States have done proud to India by holding prstigious public offices. Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley, is an American politician of Indian origin, she is currently the Governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representative from 2005 to 2010. In the 2010 South Carolin gubernatorial election, Haley was endorsed for the Republican nomination by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Movement.
On June 8, 2010, she finished first in the four-way Republican primary election with 49% of the vote, but fell short of the 50% required to avoid a runoff election. Haley won the runoff on June 22 with 65%, and proceeded to win the general election by a 51–47% margin.
Haley is the first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the United States. At the age of 40, Haley is the youngest current governor in the US. Haley signed a law cracking down on illegal immigration in June 2011 and she also supports a law requiring photo identification at the polls.
Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina on 20 January 1972, to a Jatt Sikh family of Randhawa Clan. Her parents, Dr. Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, are Sikh immigrants from Amritsar District, in Punjab, India. After graduating from Orangeburg Preparatory Schools she did her B.S. in accounting from Clemson University and joined the FCR Corporation, a waste management and recycling company. Subsequently, she joined her mother’s business, Exotica International, an upscale clothing firm, in 1994. The family business grew to a multi-million dollar company.
Haley was named to the Board of Directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce in 1998. In 2003, she was named to the Board of Directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and in 2004 Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003 and president. She chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for the local hospital.
She also serves on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, West Metro Republican Women, President of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chairman for 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign and is a member of the Rotary Club in Lexington.
In 2004, she ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives for a district in Lexington County. In the primary election, Haley won 40% of the vote (2,247 votes) to her rival Koon’s 42% (2,354 votes), thus forcing a runoff.
Her platform was anti-tax and fiscally conservative with an emphasis on education. In the runoff, Haley won with 54.7% (2,928 votes) of the total. She then ran unopposed for the House seat; no Democrat even filed in this heavily Republican district. She became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina. She was re-elected unopposed in 2006 and defeated Democrat Edgar Gomez with 83 percent of the vote in 2008.
She has been the recipient of following awards:
- 2005 “Friend of the Taxpayer” – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
- 2006 “Palmetto Leadership Award” – South Carolina Policy Council (a limited-government advocacy group)
- “Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award” – South Carolina federation of Republican Women
- 2009 “Friend of the Taxpayer” – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
- 2010 “Taxpayer Hero” – South Carolina Club for Growth
- 2011 “India Abroad Person of the Year 2010” – India Abroad
2010 Campaign for Governor
On 14 May 2009, Haley announced that she would be running for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina in 2010. On 11 November 2009, she was endorsed by former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, as well as Jenny Sanford, the incumbent first lady of South Carolina. However, she remained in last place among primary candidates in the polls and also in fundraising until former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin endorsed her.
The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on 8 June 2010, and Haley captured 49% of the vote, necessitating a runoff election on June 22. Haley won handily in the runoff vote. In October 2010 South Carolina pollster Crantford & Associates reported Haley barely edging Democratic challenger Vincent Sheheen in general election polling 45% to 41%. She is also part of the Tea Party movement. Haley was elected governor on 2 November 2010.
