WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been named as the Republican who will deliver the GOP's response to the State of the Union.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced Haley's selection Tuesday.
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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was selected Tuesday to deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union Address on Jan. 12. Haley is seen here hugging members of the clergy before holding a press conference to announce the capture of the suspect who allegedly murdered nine people at historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 18, 2015. Photo by Gillian Ellis/UPI | License Photo
"Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America," Ryan said in a statement. "In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation."
The State of the Union will be on Tuesday Jan. 12.
Haley is South Carolina's first female governor, and the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.
Last year, freshman Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was tapped to deliver the response, which was less a rebuttal on President Barack Obama's remarks and more a list of Republican priorities.
The year before, Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., delivered the address, during which he famously took a break for a sip of water.
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The GOP has a tradition of choosing rising stars in the party to deliver the national address. Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was selected in 2009, at the time, seen as the new face of the party. However his address was near-universally panned.
