Nikki Haley (born January 20, 1972) is an elected official and businesswoman from South Carolina where she represents Lexington County (Lexington County, South Carolina) in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Haley is the Republican nominee in the South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2010 and has been endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford, and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. On June 8, 2010, Haley finished first in the four-person GOP primary election with more than 49% of the vote - just shy of the 50% plus one threshold required to win outright. Haley won the runoff on June 22 with 65%.