Gov. Haley to give Republican response to State of Union

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s selection to give the Republican response to the State of the Union address won’t be her debut on the national stage.

House Speaker Paul Ryan made the announcement this afternoon that Haley had been tapped to serve as the voice of the GOP after Obama’s speech on January 12.

State Sen. Larry Martin, who attended the event along with other members of the legislative delegation, said he appreciated the governor’s tribute to Collins and was happy to hear that she will be delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union address.

Haley’s name has floated around since her historic 2010 run for governor in the state as a possible national political name, and all year she’s fielded questions about the Republican ticket in 2016, noted WISTV.

Haley also earned national attention after nine people were murdered at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church in June of previous year.

Haley said she was honored at the request to deliver the address. Governor Haley knows the American Dream and wants to see every American share in it, and we’re pleased that she will be delivering this year’s Republican Address‎. McConnell said Haley has demonstrated how to bring people together to deliver results.

About Gov. Haley. Governor Nikki Haley, the 116th Governor of SC, is the first female and the first minority governor in SC history and now the youngest governor in the country.

Haley is a popular two-term governor whose national profile grew last summer when she supported a drive to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the SC capitol.

A staunch conservative with relatively strong approval ratings – in a state that hosts the nation’s third presidential nominating contest – Haley is often discussed as a potential short-lister for the GOP vice presidential nod.

State of the Union speeches typically include a laundry list of the president’s legislative priorities for the year ahead. Joni Ernst of Iowa gave the response. Current presidential candidate Marco Rubio gave the response in 2013, and former candidate Bobby Jindal gave the response to Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress in February 2009. Haley promptly called for the flag to be taken down.