Nimarata Nikki Randhawa 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 U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018. A Republican, Haley is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was 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. She was elected governor of South Carolina in 2010, making her the state'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 became the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of Donald Trump. As U.N. ambassador, Haley was notable for her advocacy for Israel, her defense of the Trump administration's withdrawal of the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement, and her withdrawal of the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council. 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. She campaigned directly against Trump for almost two months. She became first female Republican presidential candidate to win a presidential primary after her victory in the Washington DC primary. After losing in all of the Super Tuesday contests, with the exception of Vermont, Nikki Haley suspended her campaign on March 6, 2024. On April 15, the Hudson Institute announced Haley would join the think tank as the next Walter P. Stern Chair.