A state government (provincial government in Canada) is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government. This relationship may be defined by a constitution.

The reference to "state" denotes subnational entities which are officially or widely known as "states", and should not be confused with a "sovereign state". Provinces are usually divisions of unitary states. Their governments, which are also provincial governments, are not the subject of this article.

The United States and Australia are the main examples of federal systems in which the term "state" is used for the subnational components of the federation. In addition, the Canadian provinces fulfil a similar role. The term for subnational units in non-English-speaking federal countries may also often be translated as "state", e.g. States of Germany (German Länder).

Australia[link]

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal nation with six states (and two mainland territories). Section 51 of the Australian Constitution sets out the division of legislative power between the states and the Commonwealth (federal) government. The Commonwealth government is given a variety of legislative powers, including control of foreign affairs, taxation (although this cannot discriminate between states or parts of states), and regulation of interstate commerce and corporations.^[1] Since the original ratification of the constitution, the High Court of Australia has settled a number of disputes concerning the extent of the Commonwealth's legislative powers, some of which have been controversial and extensively criticised; these included a dispute in 1982 over whether the Commonwealth was entitled to designate land for national heritage purposes under United Nations agreements,^[2] as well as numerous disputes over the extent of the Commonwealth's power over trade union and industrial relations legislation.^[3]

One difference between the Australian and United States models of federalism is that, in Australia, the Commonwealth Parliament has explicit constitutional power over marriage legislation; this has been a focal point for recent controversies over same-sex marriage.^[4]

Government structure[link]

Each state of Australia has a Governor, who represents the Queen of Australia (currently Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom) and performs the ceremonial duties of a head of state. Every state also has a parliament; most states have a bicameral parliament, except for Queensland, where the upper chamber (the Legislative Council) was abolished in 1922.^[5] Unlike their United States counterparts, Australian states have a Westminster system of parliamentary government; the head of government, known in each state as a Premier, is drawn from the state parliament.

India[link]

In India, the state governments are the level of government below the central government.India is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution. Sovereignty is shared between the centre and the state government, but the central government is given greater powers. The President is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union. Real executive power vests in a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister as head of government. The State resembles the federal system. In the states, the Governor is the head of Executive, but real executive power vests with the Chief Minister who heads the Council of Ministers. The judicial setup of the country is headed by the Chief justice, who presides over one of the largest judicial apparatus dispensing criminal, civil and all other forms of litigation. The government head of its legal wing is the Attorney General of India. The Prime minister is after the Governor General.

United States[link]

Under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all governmental powers not granted to the Federal government of the United States nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

See also[link]

• State (sub-national)
• Subnational entity
• List of U.S. state legislatures

References[link]

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