Rep. Nikki Haley to bring campaign for governor to Hartsville Monday

State Rep. Nikki Haley, R- Lexington

By: | SCNow
Published: June 12, 2009

State Rep. Nikki Haley, R- Lexington, will bring her campaign for the Republican nomination for governor to Hartsville on Monday.

Haley will appear at a "meet and greet" at the Lawton Park Pavilion from 5:30 to 7 p.m. hosted by Drs. Ken and Alison Evans. The event is open to the public.

Haley represents District 87 in Lexington County in the S.C. House. She was first elected to the House in 2004 when she beat the longest serving state legislator at the time in a GOP primary.

In 2008, Haley was returned to the House with 83 percent of the vote, the highest percentage earned by any lawmaker in a contested election that year.

A fiscal conservative, Haley has fought what she sees as wasteful spending, pushed for smaller and more efficient government and fought for transparency and accountability in state government.

For her efforts to cut taxes and slow the growth of government spending, Haley was named "Friend of the Taxpayer" in 2009 by the S.C. Association of Taxpayers and a "Taxpayer Hero" in 2005 by Gov. Mark Sanford.

She has also received the Palmetto Leadership Award from the S.C. Policy Council for her expertise on policy matters and the Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award from the S.C. Federation of Republican Women for constituent service she provides to her district.

Born in Bamberg, the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley's first job was keeping the books for her family's clothing store - at the age of 13. She went on to graduate from Clemson University with a B.S. degree in accounting and following her graduation worked as accounting supervisor for the Charlotte, N.C.-based corporation FCR Inc. and five of its subsidiaries.

Haley then went back to the family business, where she helped oversee its growth into a multi-million dollar operation. Since 2008 she has served as the assistant executive director of the Lexington Medical Foundation.

Haley and her husband Michael, a full time federal technician with the S.C. National Guard and an officer in the Army National Guard in Darlington, attend Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington. She was previously a board member of both the Orangeburg and Lexington County Chambers of Commerce and a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Currently, Haley sits on the board for Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church, Medmission and is a proud member of the West Metro Republican Women, Lexington County Republi-can Party and the NRA.