On January 25, Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was sworn in as US ambassador to the United Nations. Vice President Mike Pence swore in Haley who served as the 116th Governor of South Carolina from January 2011 to January 2017. The South Carolina-born daughter of Indian immigrants became the state’s first female and first minority governor.
The U.S. Senate officially confirmed Haley as the next ambassador to the United Nations Tuesday evening (January 24) in a 96-4 vote. The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of confirmation, with just four senators – Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democrats Chris Coons of Delaware and Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico – voting against her. Haley resigned as South Carolina’s Republican governor following the vote. She was succeeded by Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster.
After officially resigning, Haley addressed a crowd in the Capitol lobby.
“There’s lots of work to do, but we have the right person to do it,” she said, referring to McMaster. “It’s an absolute privilege and honor to turn over the reins to you.”
Trump’s pick came as a surprise to many as Haley loudly criticized Trump during the GOP primary and endorsed one of his rivals, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.