Nikki Haley born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, of Indian descent, was the first woman and the first Indian American to be Governor of South Carolina. She is now the second republican after Donald Trump, and the third Indian American to seek a presidential nomination.
Haley announced her candidature on Twitter yesterday alongside with a campaign video “There will always be critics and cowards. That’s never stopped me before. Now is not the time to hold back. Now is the time for a strong and proud America. Change is coming. Get excited!”
The former governor, 51, also served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018 and played a key role in advancing the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda, including the withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Paris climate agreement. Back in 2021 she said she would not run against an ex-republican, but now changed her mind citing the need for “generational change”, referring to the fact that President Joe Biden is 80-year-old and her challenger Trump is 76. “The Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again,” she said in the Twitter video. “It’s for a new generation of leadership to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose.”
If Haley was to win the elections, she would become the first female president. For the moment, the polls show former President Donald Trump as favorite candidate among Republican primary voters and on second place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed by former Vice President Mike Pence. Haley’s first campaign event, is scheduled on Wednesday in Charleston, then she will head to New Hampshire and Iowa.
Source: cnbc.com
