Who is Nikki Haley? 5 things to know about the Republican presidential candidate

She used to work for Donald Trump. Now, Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is running against Trump for president. A day before the New Hampshire primary election, Haley remains in the race while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped out. How long she remains a presidential rival remains to be seen. Some news outlets have suggested her endgame is to be Trump’s running mate.

Here are five things to know about Haley.

Nikki Haley, a Republican, is running for president of the United States

Haley is set to go head-to-head against former President Donald Trump in Tuesday’s Republican primary in New Hampshire after initially announcing her presidential bid in February 2023.

According to USA Today’s Election Guide, Ryan Binkley, the president, CEO and co-founder of Generational Equity Group and a pastor from Texas, is also running against Haley and Trump. After the recent departure of Ron DeSantis from the race, Haley and Trump remain the top two candidates.

Haley is the former governor of South Carolina

Haley, a 52-year-old from Bamberg, S.C., served as the state’s governor from 2011 until 2017 — becoming the youngest and first minority female governor in America. She was one of four children born into an Indian-American family.

Prior to her tenure as governor, she was a South Carolina State House representative, pushing for tax cuts and transparency across the state.

She’s a pro-life and Second Amendment supporter

According to Haley’s candidacy website, she believes that being pro-life isn’t about politics, and while she was governor, she repealed many of the state’s anti-gun policies. And though she’s a daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s against illegal immigration, as her parents entered the country legally.

She is also an advocate for voter ID, expanding educational freedom, transparency and holding politicians accountable, “getting tough” on Russia, China and Latin America, sanctioning North Korea, human rights, and creating jobs.

She used to work for former President Donald Trump. Now, she’s running against him

Haley was nominated to serve as United States ambassador to the United Nations by former President Donald Trump. She worked in the position from 2017-18 and simultaneously served as a member of the president’s Cabinet and on the National Security Council.

However, before working for him, she wasn’t a big fan of the former president. According to Politico, she wasn’t a fan of either Trump or his opponent Hillary Clinton in 2016, but she wound up voting for Trump.

She’s currently projected behind Trump in the Republican primary in terms of delegates

Trump is projected ahead of Haley as of now, according to the New York Times’ 2024 Republican Presidential Delegate Tracker.

It has been suggested that Haley is running for the presidency to have a better chance of becoming Trump’s running mate. On Friday, Trump said Haley is not of presidential caliber, and he will be unlikely to choose her as his running mate, as reported by the New York Times.

Haley recently declared in New Hampshire that she will not serve as Trump’s vice president if he wins the Republican nomination, as reported by Reuters.