South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will be facing the glare of the national spotlight when she gives the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address next week, reports the Washington Post.
Haley has been mentioned as a possible contender for the Vice Presidential nomination.
Giving the Indian American governor such a prominent role is s smart move by the Republican Party which is trying to expand its base beyond White males.
Haley received kudos for her handling of the aftermath of the mass shooting in the AMES Church in Charleston last year when she successfully pushed to end the display of the Confederate Flag on public property.
It’ll be interesting to see what Haley says about Obama’s executive order to expand background checks before gun purchases.
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The GOP has been almost unanimously opposed to the idea despite a Pew poll in July which found 85 percent of those surveyed support background checks on all private gun sales and gun show sales.
After the Charleston church shooting, Haley took a middle of the road approach to gun control saying she didn’t support extending the waiting period, but was more interested in learning how shooter Dylann Roof, who had admitted to drug possession, was able to purchase a gun.
The move by the Republicans to put Haley in such a high profile role could backfire, as it has in the past. You can read about that in the Washington Post.
