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| Nikki Haley and the Confederate flag: the latest battle in career that defies the odds | Nikki Haley and the Confederate flag: the latest battle in career that defies the odds |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| In the wake of a racially motivated attack on a historically black church in South Carolina, all eyes have been squarely focused on Nikki Haley, the state’s governor and a transformative figure in its local politics. | In the wake of a racially motivated attack on a historically black church in South Carolina, all eyes have been squarely focused on Nikki Haley, the state’s governor and a transformative figure in its local politics. |
| The first Indian American and female governor of South Carolina has seen many ups and downs in her decade-long political career, but nothing could have prepared Haley for the tragedy that unfolded on the evening of 17 June. | The first Indian American and female governor of South Carolina has seen many ups and downs in her decade-long political career, but nothing could have prepared Haley for the tragedy that unfolded on the evening of 17 June. |
| Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white male, shot and killed nine African Americans, including a reverend and state senator, after attending a Bible study group at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in downtown Charleston. | Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white male, shot and killed nine African Americans, including a reverend and state senator, after attending a Bible study group at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in downtown Charleston. |
| Haley arrived in Charleston the morning after the massacre, from where she decried the attack on “the heart and soul of South Carolina” while fighting back tears. Within 48 hours, Haley arrived at a decision: the Confederate flag, a symbol of the American civil war fought over slavery, should be removed from its perch on the South Carolina statehouse grounds. | |
| She couldn't look her son or daughter in the face and justify that flag flying at the statehouse | |
| An aide to Haley said the governor’s decision came down to the example she would set for her children – a 17-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. | An aide to Haley said the governor’s decision came down to the example she would set for her children – a 17-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. |
| “When the question of the flag arose, the governor, as the daughter of parents who encouraged her to focus more on what brings us together than what makes us different, it came down to one simple thing – she couldn’t look her son or daughter in the face and justify that flag flying at the statehouse, which should be a place of unity for the people of our state,” Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey told the Guardian. | |
| By Monday, she made the declaration public – earning praise from local leaders and even Barack Obama, who at a eulogy for slain state senator Clementa Pinckney on Friday cited Haley’s “eloquence” on the flag and its painful symbolism for many. | By Monday, she made the declaration public – earning praise from local leaders and even Barack Obama, who at a eulogy for slain state senator Clementa Pinckney on Friday cited Haley’s “eloquence” on the flag and its painful symbolism for many. |
| Although Haley is no stranger to the national stage, the past two weeks have once again shone a spotlight on one of the Republican party’s unlikeliest of stars. | Although Haley is no stranger to the national stage, the past two weeks have once again shone a spotlight on one of the Republican party’s unlikeliest of stars. |
| Ascendance of an outsider | Ascendance of an outsider |
| Vexed by the perception that their party is dominated by white men, Republicans have often held up Haley as both an example of the diversity that exists within their ranks and a promising bench of young leaders. (At 43, Haley is the youngest governor in America.) | Vexed by the perception that their party is dominated by white men, Republicans have often held up Haley as both an example of the diversity that exists within their ranks and a promising bench of young leaders. (At 43, Haley is the youngest governor in America.) |
| Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh parents who emigrated from India, Haley made an ascent to the governor’s mansion – and the national stage – which has often been a tale of perseverance against all odds. | Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh parents who emigrated from India, Haley made an ascent to the governor’s mansion – and the national stage – which has often been a tale of perseverance against all odds. |
| Her small hometown, with a population of just over 3,600, did not previously have Indian families nestled in its neighborhoods. Haley has recounted a number of early growing pains she faced with her siblings: her brother was teased at first for not cutting his hair per Sikh tradition, and Haley and her sister were disqualified from a local junior pageant because the judges were “flummoxed” by their ethnicity, she told the New York Times in 2010. | Her small hometown, with a population of just over 3,600, did not previously have Indian families nestled in its neighborhoods. Haley has recounted a number of early growing pains she faced with her siblings: her brother was teased at first for not cutting his hair per Sikh tradition, and Haley and her sister were disqualified from a local junior pageant because the judges were “flummoxed” by their ethnicity, she told the New York Times in 2010. |
| “It’s survival mode,” Haley said at the time. “You learn to try and show people how you’re more alike than you are different.” | “It’s survival mode,” Haley said at the time. “You learn to try and show people how you’re more alike than you are different.” |
| Her father worked as a biology professor and her mother created a clothing business called Exotica International, where Haley began keeping books at the age of 13. She went on to attend Clemson University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and met her husband, Michael Haley – a member of the South Carolina army national guard who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. | Her father worked as a biology professor and her mother created a clothing business called Exotica International, where Haley began keeping books at the age of 13. She went on to attend Clemson University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and met her husband, Michael Haley – a member of the South Carolina army national guard who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. |
| They married in 1996 in two ceremonies, one Sikh and one Methodist, although Haley has said she converted to Christianity before her wedding and that both her children were baptized in a Methodist church. | They married in 1996 in two ceremonies, one Sikh and one Methodist, although Haley has said she converted to Christianity before her wedding and that both her children were baptized in a Methodist church. |
| Questions over her background and faith nonetheless loomed when Haley set her sights on public office in a state long regarded as a microcosm of the ruthless nature of politics. | Questions over her background and faith nonetheless loomed when Haley set her sights on public office in a state long regarded as a microcosm of the ruthless nature of politics. |
| In many ways, Haley succeeded by revealing herself early on as a fighter who could weather even the nastiest of storms. | In many ways, Haley succeeded by revealing herself early on as a fighter who could weather even the nastiest of storms. |
| When she first ran for office in 2004, Haley challenged representative Larry Koon, the longest-serving member of the state house of representatives. Her opponent’s campaign deliberately referred to her in newspaper ads by her birth name, trying to cast her as an outsider. Her volunteers were sometimes taunted by passersby with comments about Hinduism and cow worship. | When she first ran for office in 2004, Haley challenged representative Larry Koon, the longest-serving member of the state house of representatives. Her opponent’s campaign deliberately referred to her in newspaper ads by her birth name, trying to cast her as an outsider. Her volunteers were sometimes taunted by passersby with comments about Hinduism and cow worship. |
| “In South Carolina, it’s hard to run as a woman anyway. She was a minority woman and he was a 30-year Republican incumbent,” Katrina Shealy, who helped Haley with the campaign and is the only woman in the state senate, told the Guardian. “She had a really tough campaign, because there were a lot of racial slurs used against her ... That was a landmark-type deal when she won that first campaign.” | “In South Carolina, it’s hard to run as a woman anyway. She was a minority woman and he was a 30-year Republican incumbent,” Katrina Shealy, who helped Haley with the campaign and is the only woman in the state senate, told the Guardian. “She had a really tough campaign, because there were a lot of racial slurs used against her ... That was a landmark-type deal when she won that first campaign.” |
| Haley won both a run-off and the general election, subsequently serving three terms there and at times upending the traditional system. | Haley won both a run-off and the general election, subsequently serving three terms there and at times upending the traditional system. |
| She authored and pushed for a bill that would force state lawmakers to vote on the record, after learning how few roll-call votes were taken in the legislature. House leadership responded by taking away her chairmanship on the banking subcommittee. In taking on the establishment, Haley seemingly burned the bridges she would need for her ambitious run for the state’s highest office. | She authored and pushed for a bill that would force state lawmakers to vote on the record, after learning how few roll-call votes were taken in the legislature. House leadership responded by taking away her chairmanship on the banking subcommittee. In taking on the establishment, Haley seemingly burned the bridges she would need for her ambitious run for the state’s highest office. |
| Indeed, when Haley announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in 2009, she once again found herself up against men who were used to calling the shots. Nearly all of them had more name recognition than Haley: a congressman, a lieutenant governor and an attorney general. | Indeed, when Haley announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in 2009, she once again found herself up against men who were used to calling the shots. Nearly all of them had more name recognition than Haley: a congressman, a lieutenant governor and an attorney general. |
| Haley was once more the outsider and ran an anti-establishment campaign based in large part on the need to bring accountability and transparency to state government. Her pledge to shrink the size of government, reduce taxes and cut spending caught the eye of the Tea Party movement and earned her the coveted endorsement of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. | Haley was once more the outsider and ran an anti-establishment campaign based in large part on the need to bring accountability and transparency to state government. Her pledge to shrink the size of government, reduce taxes and cut spending caught the eye of the Tea Party movement and earned her the coveted endorsement of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. |
| But the rough-and-tumble of South Carolina politics reared its head again, and Haley endured a bruising – sometimes downright ugly – primary. | But the rough-and-tumble of South Carolina politics reared its head again, and Haley endured a bruising – sometimes downright ugly – primary. |
| One state senator told a talk show: “We already got one raghead in the White House. We don’t need another in the governor’s mansion.” An ad campaign questioned her faith by zeroing in on her Sikh heritage. Two men claimed they had affairs with Haley, charges that she vehemently denied. | One state senator told a talk show: “We already got one raghead in the White House. We don’t need another in the governor’s mansion.” An ad campaign questioned her faith by zeroing in on her Sikh heritage. Two men claimed they had affairs with Haley, charges that she vehemently denied. |
| The mudslinging, Haley’s supporters said, only made her tougher. | The mudslinging, Haley’s supporters said, only made her tougher. |
| If she puts her mind to something, she just doesn't give up. She keeps going until she gets it done | If she puts her mind to something, she just doesn't give up. She keeps going until she gets it done |
| “If she puts her mind to something, she’s a strong woman and she just doesn’t give up. She’s very strong-willed, she’s stubborn,” Shealy said. “She keeps going until she gets it done.” | “If she puts her mind to something, she’s a strong woman and she just doesn’t give up. She’s very strong-willed, she’s stubborn,” Shealy said. “She keeps going until she gets it done.” |
| On 2 November 2010, Haley became the first woman and first minority governor elected in South Carolina. She also became only the second Indian American governor in America, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. | On 2 November 2010, Haley became the first woman and first minority governor elected in South Carolina. She also became only the second Indian American governor in America, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. |
| The victory catapulted Haley from a relatively obscure name in politics to national prominence. Her name was floated as a potential pick for Romney’s running mate in 2012, speculation that at least some political observers have revived leading up to 2016. | The victory catapulted Haley from a relatively obscure name in politics to national prominence. Her name was floated as a potential pick for Romney’s running mate in 2012, speculation that at least some political observers have revived leading up to 2016. |
| But as Haley’s star rose nationally, she was hit by numerous controversies back home. | But as Haley’s star rose nationally, she was hit by numerous controversies back home. |
| Improbable re-election | Improbable re-election |
| A 2012 cyber-attack at the South Carolina department of revenue saw stolen the social security and bank account numbers of millions of South Carolinians, and the financial data of 700,000 businesses. Haley was also accused of mishandling the response to reports of child abuse at the department of social services. | A 2012 cyber-attack at the South Carolina department of revenue saw stolen the social security and bank account numbers of millions of South Carolinians, and the financial data of 700,000 businesses. Haley was also accused of mishandling the response to reports of child abuse at the department of social services. |
| She even faced an ethics probe after an influential Republican fundraiser accused her of lobbying on behalf of two businesses she worked for as a state representative – although a panel of state lawmakers cleared Haley of wrongdoing. | She even faced an ethics probe after an influential Republican fundraiser accused her of lobbying on behalf of two businesses she worked for as a state representative – although a panel of state lawmakers cleared Haley of wrongdoing. |
| Haley’s support also dropped among members of the Tea Party, who accused the governor of failing to make good on her promises to reform the political system and of cutting deals with corporations. Tea Party activists said they felt especially deceived when Haley endorsed establishment favorite Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican presidential primary. | Haley’s support also dropped among members of the Tea Party, who accused the governor of failing to make good on her promises to reform the political system and of cutting deals with corporations. Tea Party activists said they felt especially deceived when Haley endorsed establishment favorite Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican presidential primary. |
| Her poll numbers took a hit and cast doubt over whether Haley would be re-elected in 2014. | Her poll numbers took a hit and cast doubt over whether Haley would be re-elected in 2014. |
| Haley set out to restore faith among the same voters who once handed her an against-all-odds victory with a jobs-centric message, aided by an impressive campaign war chest. | Haley set out to restore faith among the same voters who once handed her an against-all-odds victory with a jobs-centric message, aided by an impressive campaign war chest. |
| She touted a drop in the state’s unemployment rate to a 13-year low and investment from outside businesses that would create an estimated tens of thousands of jobs. She also pitched an education reform plan that would spend $160m on new programs targeting low-income children and those learning to speak English. | She touted a drop in the state’s unemployment rate to a 13-year low and investment from outside businesses that would create an estimated tens of thousands of jobs. She also pitched an education reform plan that would spend $160m on new programs targeting low-income children and those learning to speak English. |
| The moves were enough to persuade voters, and Haley was handily re-elected last November. | The moves were enough to persuade voters, and Haley was handily re-elected last November. |
| All the while, Haley has often sparred with the South Carolina legislature and has been known to publicly call out lawmakers who oppose her legislative agenda. | All the while, Haley has often sparred with the South Carolina legislature and has been known to publicly call out lawmakers who oppose her legislative agenda. |
| “She has really had some differences with the general assembly,” Robert Oldendick, the executive director of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research at the University of South Carolina, told the Guardian. “There’s always been this contention between the assembly and the governor’s office.” | “She has really had some differences with the general assembly,” Robert Oldendick, the executive director of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research at the University of South Carolina, told the Guardian. “There’s always been this contention between the assembly and the governor’s office.” |
| “Traditionally the state has a very weak governor,” he added, but Haley has declined to back down when challenged by a dominant general assembly. | “Traditionally the state has a very weak governor,” he added, but Haley has declined to back down when challenged by a dominant general assembly. |
| State lawmakers are nonetheless poised to support Haley as she navigates what has been the most challenging of beginnings to a second term. | State lawmakers are nonetheless poised to support Haley as she navigates what has been the most challenging of beginnings to a second term. |
| According to a poll of the South Carolina legislature conducted by the Post and Courier, a majority of lawmakers appear to back taking the Confederate flag down from statehouse grounds. | According to a poll of the South Carolina legislature conducted by the Post and Courier, a majority of lawmakers appear to back taking the Confederate flag down from statehouse grounds. |
| Some of Haley’s critics have lamented that she defended the flag’s presence there just last year while running for re-election, when she commented that that “not a single CEO” had raised it with her as an issue. She also signed a controversial voter identification law in 2011, which opponents said would suppress turnout among black voters. | Some of Haley’s critics have lamented that she defended the flag’s presence there just last year while running for re-election, when she commented that that “not a single CEO” had raised it with her as an issue. She also signed a controversial voter identification law in 2011, which opponents said would suppress turnout among black voters. |
| Haley’s office pointed out that she is the first governor to sign a statewide law implementing the use of body cameras. She signed the bill in June with the family of Walter Scott – a black man shot and killed while fleeing a white police officer in North Charleston – by her side. | Haley’s office pointed out that she is the first governor to sign a statewide law implementing the use of body cameras. She signed the bill in June with the family of Walter Scott – a black man shot and killed while fleeing a white police officer in North Charleston – by her side. |
| Shealy offered that South Carolina’s racial history was still a sensitive subject, characterizing her constituents as part of a “very, very hardcore Republican Confederate-flag-waving district”. Even if some believed Haley’s evolution could have come sooner, Shealy said the governor did the right thing by “stepping up to the plate” in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. | Shealy offered that South Carolina’s racial history was still a sensitive subject, characterizing her constituents as part of a “very, very hardcore Republican Confederate-flag-waving district”. Even if some believed Haley’s evolution could have come sooner, Shealy said the governor did the right thing by “stepping up to the plate” in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. |
| “I think she did it to bring unity to the people of South Carolina,” Shealy said. “We don’t need to keep fighting over a flag.” | “I think she did it to bring unity to the people of South Carolina,” Shealy said. “We don’t need to keep fighting over a flag.” |