Asset management, broadly defined, refers to any system whereby things that are of value to an entity or group are monitored and maintained. It may apply to both tangible assets and to intangible concepts such as intellectual property and goodwill. Asset management is a systematic process of operating , maintaining, and upgrading assets cost-effectively, (American Associate of State Highway and Transportation Officials). Alternative views of asset management in the engineering environment are: The practice of managing assets so that the greatest return is achieved (this concept is particularly useful for productive assets such as plant and equipment); and the process by which built systems of facilities are monitored and maintained, with the objective of providing the best possible service to users (appropriate for public infrastructure assets). Most active money managers produce worse returns than an index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500.^[1]

Historical background of asset management[link]

Civilization has always relied on its technological assets to support key functions like transport, public health, business and commerce. There is a clear link between the provision and sophistication of technological assets and our modern lifestyle. Persians built a strong empire through their construction of roads, aqueducts and other assets. Similar stories are found when examining Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Financial asset management[link]

• Investment management: the sector of the financial services industry that manages collective investment schemes and segregated client accounts.
• Global assets under management
• List of asset management firms

Enterprise asset management[link]

Enterprise asset management is the business processes and enabling information systems that support management of an organization's assets, both physical (such as buildings, equipment, infrastructure etc.)

• Physical asset management: the practice of managing the whole life cycle (design, construction, commissioning, operating, maintaining, repairing, modifying, replacing and decommissioning/disposal) of physical and infrastructure assets such as structures, production and service plant, power, water and waste treatment facilities, distribution networks, transport systems, buildings and other physical assets. Infrastructure asset management expands on this theme in relation primarily to public sector, utilities, property and transport systems.
• Fixed assets management: an accounting process that seeks to track fixed assets for the purposes of financial accounting.
• IT asset management: the set of business practices that join financial, contractual and inventory functions to support life cycle management and strategic decision making for the IT environment. This is also one of the processes defined within IT service management.
• Digital asset management: a form of electronic media content management that includes digital assets.

Public Asset Management or Corporate Asset Management (CAM)[link]

Public Asset Management ( referred to also as Corporate Asset Management) expands the definition of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) by incorporating the management of all things which are of value to a municipal jurisdiction and its citizens' expectations.

An EAM requires an asset registry (inventory of assets and their attributes) combined with a Computerized Maintenance Management System. All public assets are interconnected and share proximity, and this connectivity is possible through the use of GIS.

GIS-centric public asset management standardizes data and allows interoperability, providing users the capability to reuse, coordinate, and share information in an efficient and effective manner by making the GIS geo-database the asset registry. A GIS-centric public asset management which standardizes data and allows interoperability, providing users the capability to reuse, coordinate, and share information in an efficient and effective manner.

In the United States the defacto GIS standard is the Esri GIS for utilities and municipalities. An Esri GIS platform combined with the overall public asset management umbrella of both physical “hard” assets and “soft” assets helps remove the traditional silos of structured municipal functions. While the hard assets are the typical physical assets or infrastructure assets, the soft assets of a municipality includes permits, license, code enforcement, right-of-ways and other land-focused work activities.

This definition of “public asset management” was coined and defined by Brian L. Haslam, President and CEO of a leading international GIS-centric Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) company which software is certified by the National Association of GIS-Centric Solutions (NAGCS). GIS-centric public asset management is a system design approach for managing public assets that leverages the investment local governments continue to make in GIS and provides a common framework for sharing useful data from disparate systems. Permits, licenses, code enforcement, right-of-way, and other land-focused work activities are examples of land-focused public assets managed by local government. These public assets occupy location just as in-the-ground or above-ground public assets do.

Land-use development and planning is another area which is interconnected to other local government assets and work activities. Public Asset Management is the term that encompasses this subset of land-focused asset management, considering the importance that public assets affect other public assets and work activities and are important sources of revenue and are various points of citizen interaction.

See also[link]

• American Water Works Association (AWWA)
• National Association of GIS-Centric Solutions (NAGCS)

References[link]

• Baird, G. "Defining Public Asset Management for Municipal Water Utilities". Journal American Water Works Association May 2011, 103:5:30, wwww.awwa.org
• ESRI (pending publication) GIS-Centric Public Asset Management, 2011 by Brian L. Haslam

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Brendan Cole (born 23 April 1976) is a ballroom dancer specialising in Latin American dancing. He is most famous for appearing on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, a dance contest in which a professional ballroom dancer is partnered with a celebrity amateur dancer. He has also judged three seasons of New Zealand's own Dancing with the Stars.

Early life and career[link]

Cole was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He has danced since he was six, and moved to the United Kingdom when he was nineteen. Before he danced professionally he worked as a builder.

He danced with Camilla Dallerup, a fellow contestant on the BBC's earlier long-running show Come Dancing, as amateurs from 1996, and from 2002-2004 as professionals. They competed for New Zealand: Camilla Dallerup is Danish-born. In 2003 Dallerup and Cole were placed 3rd for Latin American at the UK Closed Championships. During the professional group dances on Strictly Come Dancing, Brendan danced with Karen Hardy for series 3 to 5 then with fellow New Zealander, Hayley Holt, for series 6. His celebrity partner for series six was Lisa Snowdon, with whom he reached the final to be placed third.

In the winter of 2004 Brendan had his first acting experience featuring in the UK feature film Everything To Dance For alongside Sasha Jackson, Travis Oliver and Sally Reeve.

In summer 2006, he joined ITV's Love Island and became the runner-up when the show ended on August 28, 2006. Also on that year, he appeared as guest judge on fourth episode of Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 2 where he worked with the remaining 10 contestants to teach ballroom dancing prior to judging.

In January 2007, Cole appeared on the BBC's duet show Just the Two of Us as a celebrity, with Beverley Knight as his professional partner. They came second.

Cole has appeared on all nine series to date of Strictly Come Dancing. Particularly in the third and fourth series, he has often clashed with the judges over their scoring and comments on his performances. He has on occasion deliberately broken the rules by incorporating illegal lifts into his choreography, and as a result has often been dubbed the "bad boy of Strictly".

Brendan represented the United Kingdom at the first Eurovision Dance Contest in September 2007. His dance partner was Camilla Dallerup. The couple were highly praised by British judges yet only managed to finish fifteenth out of the sixteen entrants.

In October 2009 Cole appeared on the New Zealand travel show Intrepid Journeys. During a hunting lesson filmed in Vanuatu he was shown killing an eating a chicken, prompting international news coverage.^[1]

In 2010 he was a celebrity guest team captain on What Do Kids Know? along with Rufus Hound, Joe Swash and Sara Cox on Watch.

Personal life[link]

Before becoming a professional dancer Cole was a builder and roof layer, having left school at 17. Before he danced with Natasha Kaplinsky, in the first series of Strictly Come Dancing, Camilla and Brendan were engaged, but she broke it off, claiming, "I'd been with Brendan almost every day, all the time, for more than eight years and then he changed overnight. I think he was starstruck ... everything changed because of her (Natasha Kaplinsky)."^{[citation needed]}

Brendan's previous relationships have included Shelly Ross, Abi Titmuss, Lady Victoria Hervey, Martine McCutcheon, Adele Silva and Emma Gray.^{[citation needed]}

He is now married to Zoe Hobbs, a British model. ^[2]

Televised competitions[link]

• First place in the first season of Strictly Come Dancing partnered with newsreader, Natasha Kaplinsky.
• Sixth place in the second season of Strictly Come Dancing with Casualty star, Sarah Manners.
• Ninth place in the third series of Strictly Come Dancing with GMTV's Fiona Phillips.
• Sixth place in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing with actress, Claire King.
• Withdrew from the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing with model, Kelly Brook. Kelly's father had died during the week. Kelly had said she would carry on dancing in memory of him, but it was later revealed, she found it too hard to continue.
• Third place in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing with celebrity partner, Lisa Snowdon, a supermodel and television presenter.
• His partner for Strictly Come Dancing Series 7 was estranged wife of Ronnie Wood, Jo Wood. Brendan & Jo were eliminated in Week 6 for their Samba placing them 11th overall.
• For Strictly Come Dancing Series 8, Brendan was partnered with American Broadway-actress singer Michelle Williams.
• His partner for Strictly Come Dancing series 9 was 1960's singer and icon, Lulu.

During his time on Strictly Come Dancing Brendan has performed professional dances with

• Camilla Dallerup for Series 1.
• Nicole Cutler for Series 2.
• Karen Hardy for Series 3-5.
• Hayley Holt for Series 6.
• Katya Virshilas for Series 7.
• Natalie Lowe for Series 8-present.

Charity work[link]

Brendan has supported several charity functions including children's anti-bullying campaigning group Act Against Bullying.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• BBC website for Strictly Come Dancing
• Brendan's website
• Brendan Cole at the Silverstone Classic 2010

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Gavin Hastings

Full name	Andrew Gavin Hastings
Date of birth	(1962-01-03) 3 January 1962 (age 50)[1]
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Weight	14 st 3 lb (91 kg)[1]
School	George Watson's College
University	Cambridge University
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fullback
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1985	Cambridge University Watsonians RFC London Scottish FC University of Auckland Barbarian F.C.
correct as of 7 August 2006.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1986-1995 1989-1993	Scotland British and Irish Lions	61 6	(667) (66)
correct as of 7 August 2006.

Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE (born 3 January 1962) is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland.^[1] His nickname is "Big Gav".

Hastings was born in Edinburgh. He has played for Watsonians, London Scottish, Cambridge University, Scotland and the British and Irish Lions and was one of the outstanding rugby union players of his generation, winning 61 caps for Scotland, 20 of which as captain. He played fullback, and captained the Lions on the tour to New Zealand in 1993 (after playing in all three tests in the 1989 tour to Australia).

Former national coach Ian McGeechan said of him:

"Gavin is a big man in every sense of the word... his greatest asset was to engender confidence in those around him and to lead by example when the opposition had to be taken on. In New Zealand, they considered him simply the best full-back in the world."^[1]

Statistics[link]

Until his record was overtaken by Chris Paterson on 7 June 2008, Hastings was the all-time record points scorer in the Scottish national rugby union team, with 667 points in test matches. He remains the all-time record points scorer for the British and Irish Lions (in test matches) with 66, the all time record points scorer for Watsonians with 1203, and until 2007 was the all time record points scorer for an individual player in the Rugby World Cup with 227 points. He was surpassed by Jonny Wilkinson in the 2007 quarter-final stage against Australia. He also scored 17 tries for Scotland, to place him third on Scotland's all time list on his retirement.

Richard Bath writes of Gavin Hastings that:

"Caps do not make the man, but a quick look at Gavin Hastings' battle honours should be more than enough to establish his credentials as the finest player ever to wear the dark blue of Scotland.

"For the record though, here is an abridged version of one of the most impressive curriculum vitae in British rugby; Hastings captained the first Scottish schoolboys' side to win on English soil; he captained the victorious 1985 Cambridge University side; he won the Gallacher Shield with Auckland University during his sabbatical year; he was a central figure in Scotland's 1990 Grand Slam... he captained Scotland in one World Cup, and played in two others, including a semi-final; he captained his country and scored the winning try when Scotland registered their first win at the Parc des Princes... he played for the World XV in the New Zealand Centenary Celebrations; and he holds the British points-scoring record with 733 points in tests for Scotland and the Lions."^[1]

He also appeared 10 times for the Barbarians.

Biography[link]

As a schoolboy Gavin became the first player to captain a Scottish schoolboys side to win in England.^[1] In 1985, he captained Cambridge University to victory in the Varsity Match.^[1]

International career[link]

Gavin was the indirect successor to Andy Irvine, previously considered Scotland's best ever full back. He is the elder brother of Scott Hastings. Both Hastings brothers earned their first cap on 17 January 1986 against France. Gavin's international career got off to an inauspicious start - his opening kick off went out of bounds, and when he turned away in disgust, assuming he had given away a scrum on the halfway line, the French elected to take a quick throw-in (a rarity in such situations) and scored a try directly from the throw-in. Gavin recovered his composure to kick six penalty goals in the match (then a record), which Scotland eventually won 18-17. He scored a further five penalty goals and three conversions in a record breaking 33-6 win over England later in 1986.

Gavin has twice set the world record for most points in an international match, and on each occasion the record was then broken by someone else for the second time on the same day.^[2]

Gavin was a member of the Scotland team which won only its third Grand Slam in its history in 1990, playing a pivotal role in Tony Stanger's crucial winning try in the final match.

In 1995 Gavin Hastings scored a try underneath the posts from a pass by Gregor Townsend in the waning minutes of a match against France in the old Parc des Princes, which gave Scotland its first win on French soil since 1969.

Gavin's greatest disappointment as an international rugby player came in a 1991 World cup semi final match against England. With Scotland 3 points adrift in the closing minutes of a tightly fought defensive game, Gavin had a relatively straightforward penalty attempt right in front of the English posts. He missed the kick, and England went on to win the game and play in and lose the final.

Richard Bath says of Hastings' playing style that he was:

"Solid under the high ball, an outstanding goal-kicker and with a siege-gun boot that would almost inevitably find touch, Hastings was defensively strong, and came into the line with an impact which perhaps owed more to his stocky frame than great pace, but which was still extremely effective and served any team he played for in any conditions.

"A gritty player whose solidity reassured players in front of him and whose huge boot sapped opposition confidence, Gavin Hastings was also a player of immense spirit who invariably led the rearguard action, or initiated the fightback."^[1]

Post-international career[link]

In 1996, Hastings made an initially controversial decision to accept an invitation to switch to American football as a kicker with the Scottish Claymores of the WLAF. Hastings' brief spell in his new code was a poor one, even though the Claymores won that year's World Bowl at the home of Scottish Rugby, Murrayfield Stadium. Hastings missed 4 of his 27 extra point attempts, and missed his solitary field goal attempt.

He is widely considered one of the outstanding players of the game, and is hugely respected by his peers. He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. In sporting lists, he is often named as the greatest Scottish rugby player of all time.

On the 30th of August 2007 he was announced as the chairman of the "New" Edinburgh professional rugby club.^[3]

In 2011 he became patron of Wobbly Williams^[4] and Funding Nero,^[5] two charities with the aim of raising awareness of Parkinson’s in young people and funding research into a cure.

In January 2012, to celebrate his 50th birthday and to raise funds for research into Parkinson’s cure he successfully climbed Kilimanjaro. He was known on that trip as Dr Diamox.

See also[link]

• International Rugby Hall of Fame

References[link]

• Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Bath, p111
2. ^ In the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Gavin scored 44 points against the Ivory Coast; later that day Simon Culhane scored 45 points for New Zealand in a record 145-17 victory over Japan, a record that still stands. Previously Gavin had set the record for points scored in an individual game in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, only to see that record then broken by Didier Camberabero of France who scored 30 points for France against Zimbabwe on the same afternoon.
3. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/2320211/Gavin-Hastings-appointed-chairman-of-Edinburgh.html
4. ^ http://www.wobblywilliams.com
5. ^ http://fundingneuro.com

External links[link]

• Gavin Hastings on the Scotsman website
• Gavin Hastings on the Sporting Heroes website.

Nikki Haley
116th Governor of South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2011
Lieutenant	Glenn McConnell
Preceded by	Mark Sanford
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 87th district
In office January 3, 2005 – November 8, 2010
Preceded by	Larry Koon
Succeeded by	Todd Atwater
Personal details
Born	Nimrata Nikki Randhawa (1972-01-20) January 20, 1972 (age 40) Bamberg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Michael Haley
Children	2
Alma mater	Clemson University (B.S.)
Website	www.governor.sc.gov

Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley (Born on January 20, 1972), an American politician, is the 116th and current Governor of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Haley represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.^[1]

In the 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election, Haley was endorsed for the Republican nomination by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party movement.^[2][3][4][5] On June 8, 2010, she finished first in the four-way Republican primary election with 49% of the vote, but fell short of the 50% required to avoid a runoff election. Haley won the runoff on June 22 with 65%,^[6] and proceeded to win the general election by a 51–47% margin.

Haley is the first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country. At the age of 40, Haley is the youngest current governor in the US.^[7][8] Haley signed a law cracking down on illegal immigration in June 2011.^[9] She also supports a law requiring photo identification at the polls.^[10]

Early life, education and career[link]

Haley was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa^[11] in Bamberg, South Carolina, on January 20, 1972, to a Jatt Sikh family of Randhawa Clan. Her parents, Dr. Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, are Sikh immigrants from Amritsar District, Punjab, India. She has two brothers, Mitti and Charan, and a sister, Simran.^[12] Haley is a graduate of Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, and later of Clemson University with a B.S. in accounting^[13] and joined the FCR Corporation (a waste management and recycling company),^[14][15] before joining her mother's business, Exotica International, an upscale clothing firm, in 1994.^[16] The family business grew to a multi-million dollar company.^[16]

Haley was named to the Board of Directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce in 1998.^[17] She was named to the Board of Directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Haley became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003 and president in 2004.^[17] She chaired the Lexington Gala to raise funds for the local hospital.^[16] She also serves on the Lexington Medical Foundation, Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation, West Metro Republican Women, President of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chairman for 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign and is a member of the Rotary Club in Lexington.^[18]

State legislature[link]

Elections[link]

In 2004, she ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives for a district in Lexington County. She faced incumbent representative Larry Koon in the Republican primary. Koon, who had served since 1975, was the longest-serving member of the House. In the primary election, Haley won 40% of the vote (2,247 votes) to Koon's 42% (2,354 votes), thus forcing a runoff.^[19] Her platform was anti-tax and fiscally conservative with an emphasis on education.^[20] In the runoff, Haley won with 54.7% (2,928 votes) of the total. She then ran unopposed for the House seat; no Democrat even filed in this heavily Republican district. She became the first Indian-American to hold office in South Carolina.^[21][22]

She was unopposed for reelection in 2006,^[23] and defeated Democrat Edgar Gomez with 83 percent of the vote in 2008.^[24]

Tenure[link]

Haley served as secretary of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs committees. She also was elected chairman of the freshman caucus in 2005 and elected as majority whip in the South Carolina General Assembly.^[18] She was the only freshman legislator named to a whip spot.^[25]

Awards[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2011)

• 2005 "Friend of the Taxpayer" – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
• 2006
  • "Palmetto Leadership Award" – South Carolina Policy Council (a limited-government advocacy group)
  • "Strom Thurmond Excellence in Public Service and Government Award" – South Carolina federation of Republican Women
• 2009 "Friend of the Taxpayer" – South Carolina Association of Taxpayers
• 2010 "Taxpayer Hero" – South Carolina Club for Growth
• 2011 "India Abroad Person of the Year 2010" – India Abroad

Voting Record[link]

Abortion and fetal rights[link]

Haley is pro-life and consistently votes for bills that restrict abortion and bills that protect fetuses. She has also voted for bills that allow abortions in circumstances in which abortion might be necessary to save the woman's life. Bills Haley has voted for that were passed are the Penalties for Harming an Unborn Child/Fetus, Pre-Abortion Ultrasound, and the 24 Hour Waiting Period for Abortions. The Penalties for Harming an Unborn Child/Fetus says that any act of violence against a fetus is like a criminal act against the mother. The Pre-abortion Ultrasound requires the woman considering an abortion to look at an ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion. In addition, the 24 Hour Waiting Period for Abortions requires the woman to wait one day from the time of the ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion.

Haley also voted yes on some bills that were tabled or rejected relating to abortion, including the Inclusion of Unborn Child/Fetus in Definition for Civil Suits Amendment, Prohibiting Employment Termination Due to Abortion Waiting Period, and Exempting Cases of Rape from Abortion Waiting Period. The Exempting cases of Rape from Abortion Waiting Period would have allowed specific cases of women to not have to wait the mandatory 24 hours before having an abortion.^[26]

Taxation[link]

One of Haley's stated goals is to lower taxes. Haley voted against a bill to override the governor's veto (when Mark Sanford was still in office) to place a surtax on every cigarette produced. The funds earned would be appropriated to smoking prevention programs and cancer research related to smoking.^[27] She voted for a bill that raised sales taxes to six percent. The bill exempted sales tax on unprepared food such as canned goods. The same bill also exempts property tax on 'owner-occupied residential property' except for the taxes due from what is still owed on the property.^[28]

Immigration[link]

Haley, the daughter of legal immigrants, has stated she believes the immigration laws should be enforced. She voted in favor of the law that requires employers to be able to prove that any newly hired employees are legal residents of the United States, and also requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving that they are legally in the United States. The law was adopted, but is currently the subject of a lawsuit initiated by the United States Justice Department on numerous grounds, including claims the immigration law violates the Supremacy Clause. Rob Godfrey, a spokesman for Haley, said, "If the feds were doing their job, we wouldn't have had to address illegal immigration reform at the state level. But, until they do, we're going to keep fighting in South Carolina to be able to enforce our laws."^[29]

Education policies[link]

Haley has said that funds allocated for public education can be utilized more effectively. She has proposed a plan that would determine a teacher's salary based not only on seniority and qualifications but also on job performance. Their performance rating would be determined by evaluations and reports from principals, students and parents.^[30] During her gubernatorial campaign, Haley stated that she would be in favor of school choice and more charter schools.^[31] She has said that wasteful spending occurs when funds allocated for education sit too long in departmental accounts before being spent.^{[citation needed]}

Economic policies[link]

Haley supports lower taxes and opposes regulation. In inviting business to move to South Carolina she has said:

"What I'm saying is, if you come to South Carolina, the cost of doing business is going to be low here. We are go going to make sure that you have a loyal, willing workforce and we are going to be one of the lowest union-participation states in the country."^[32][33]

"Little girl" incident[link]

Following a trip to Europe to meet with potential companies that might invest in South Carolina and create jobs, Haley was criticized for the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on the trip. Over $127,000 was spent over the duration of the weeklong trip. She was criticized for spending the money on what seemed to some as unnecessary luxuries like five star hotels. Female reporter Renee Dudley, of The Post and Courier of Charleston, asked Haley about an article that had criticized her trip and spending. On "The Laura Ingraham Show" Haley said, "God bless that little girl at The Post and Courier. I mean her job is to try and create conflict. My job is to create jobs. In the end I'm going to have jobs to show for it." Haley was then attacked by many for what she later admitted was her poor choice of words.^[34]

2010 campaign for Governor[link]

County-by-county results

On May 14, 2009, Haley announced that she would be running for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina in 2010.^[3] On November 11, 2009, she was endorsed by former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, as well as Jenny Sanford, the incumbent first lady of South Carolina.^[4][5][35] However, she remained in last place among primary candidates in the polls and also in fundraising until former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin endorsed her.^{[citation needed]} The Republican gubernatorial primary took place on June 8, 2010, and Haley captured 49% of the vote, necessitating a runoff election on June 22.^[36] Haley won handily in the runoff vote.^[37]

In October 2010 South Carolina pollster Crantford & Associates reported Haley barely edging Democratic challenger Vincent Sheheen in general election polling 45% to 41%.^[38]

Haley is also part of the Tea Party movement.^[39][40]

Haley was elected governor on November 2, 2010 over the Democratic candidate, Vincent Sheheen 51% to 47%.^[41]

Racial commentary against Haley[link]

On June 3, 2010, on the Internet political talk show Pub Politics, State Senator Jake Knotts, a South Carolina lawmaker and supporter of Haley opponent Andre Bauer, repeatedly referred to Haley as a "raghead" because of her Sikh background (male Sikhs wear turbans as part of their religious uniform). Knotts said "We've already got a raghead in the White House, we don't need another raghead in the governor's mansion." The Republican state legislator later apologized for the slur, saying the remarks about President Barack Obama and Haley were meant as a joke.^[42][43]

Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson called Knotts "an embarrassment to our state and to the Republican Party." Jenny Sanford, the former First Lady of South Carolina reaffirmed her support for Haley stating that "I can't help but think that these attacks are being leveled at Nikki Haley because of the courageous stands she has taken over the years in defense of taxpayers and government reform - stands that offend many of the most powerful interests in state government. I am more convinced than ever that Nikki Haley is the best person to be South Carolina's next Governor."^[44]

Allegations of affairs[link]

On May 24, 2010, Will Folks, former press secretary for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, made a claim on his blog that he had an inappropriate physical relationship with Haley "several years ago".^[45] Haley has denied the claim, stating "I have been 100 percent faithful to my husband throughout our 13 years of marriage. This claim against me is categorically and totally false."^[46] Folks attempted to substantiate his claim by releasing phone records that he said show 700 calls between the two while Folks was working as a political consultant for the Haley campaign.^[47][48] Folks said he was "forced" to reveal the alleged affair as a preemptive measure after discovering Haley's political foes were attempting to publicize the story.^[49]

On June 3, 2010, Larry Marchant, a consultant for Andre Bauer's gubernatorial campaign, made a statement alleging he and Haley had a one-time sexual encounter.^[50]

In a June 2010 interview, Haley said that if she were elected governor and the claims were later validated she would resign the office.^[51]

Personal life[link]

Haley was born and raised as a Sikh. On September 6, 1996, she married Michael Haley in both a Methodist church ceremony and a Sikh gurdwara.^[52] Haley identifies herself today as a Christian,^[53] but attends both Sikh and Methodist services out of respect for her parents' culture.^[39][54] She sits on the board for Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church.^[55]

Michael is a federal employee with the United States Department of the Army and an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard.^[56] The couple have two children, Rena and Nalin.^[57][58] Haley's brother Mitti was an active duty officer who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years.^[59]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nikki Haley

	Biography portal
	Politics portal
	South Carolina portal

• Governor Nikki Haley official state website
• Nikki Haley for Governor official campaign website
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Profile at Notable Names Database
• Nikki Haley – The First Indian-American Woman Governor, SpeakBindas

v t e Governors of South Carolina J. Rutledge Lowndes J. Rutledge Mathews Guerard Moultrie T. Pinckney C. Pinckney Moultrie Vanderhorst C. Pinckney E. Rutledge Drayton J. Richardson P. Hamilton C. Pinckney Drayton Middleton Alston D. Williams A. Pickens Geddes Bennett Wilson Manning I Taylor Miller J. Hamilton Hayne McDuffie Butler Noble Henagan Richardson II Hammond Aiken Johnson Seabrook Means J. Manning Adams Allston Gist F. Pickens Bonham Magrath Perry Orr Scott Moses Chamberlain Hampton Simpson Jeter Hagood Thompson Sheppard Richardson III Tillman Evans Ellerbe McSweeney Heyward Ansel Blease Smith Manning III Cooper Harvey McLeod Richards Blackwood Johnston Maybank Harley Jefferies Johnston R. Williams Thurmond Byrnes Timmerman Hollings Russell McNair West Edwards Riley Campbell Beasley Hodges Sanford Haley