South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley bid farewell to the state and its people in an emotional State of the State address on January 11, before moving to New York as US Ambassador to the UN later this month.
She noted the days of celebration and those of deep, devastating mourning as Governor. ‘As I have thought back on it all, one thing has become so clear to me: serving as governor of the State of South Carolina is the greatest honor of my life.
Six years ago you (people) took a chance on me. I have spent each day since working to prove to you that you made the right decision. Know that I will continue to do so, every single day, no matter where I go or what I do.’
Haley began her speech praising the Clemson Tigers winning the national championship in college football. She also remembered meeting her husband Michael Haley at Clemson campus.
‘Clemson is more than just a special place because of our football team winning the National Championship—it is also where I met Michael my very first weekend there. In the 27 years since, we have grown up together. On this roller coaster of life, I have more love and appreciation for him with each passing day: inspiring me in the good times, encouraging me through the tough times, and being a rock for me in the saddest of times.
‘I can't imagine going through this next adventure without his support. I'm a lucky girl. Please help me welcome and thank the Coolest First Man, Michael Haley.’
She also mentioned about her absent children. ‘Missing tonight are my two little ones, although I guess they aren’t so little anymore. Rena, now 18, started her first day of classes of her first spring semester today. Nalin, now 15, is getting used to his new school in New York.’
Throughout my time in public life I have spoken often of my parents. It is not just because I love them, which I of course do, or just because I am proud of them, which I of course am, but because the lessons they taught me I carry each and every day.
One such lesson came from my mom, whose constant mantra was this: Whatever you do, be great at it, and make sure people remember you for it.’
Noting that the new Governor Henry McMaster is fond of music just like her, she quoted
Joan Jett: ‘Just be yourself and everything will fall in line, the way it's supposed to be. … Live an authentic life and you don't have to worry about your reputation.’
‘There is wisdom in her words, and if your time as governor is anything like mine, they will serve you well.’
‘When I first ran for governor, I often heard people speaking negatively about our state, both here at home and around the country. Those were difficult words to hear. This was the state that adopted my parents and the state that raised me.
I knew what we had in us. I knew the potential was there for us to be a force across the region, the nation, the world.
When we first asked public servants to answer the phones at state agencies with, “It’s a Great Day in South Carolina, how may I help you?†they hated it. But it wasn’t just some off-the-wall catchphrase, borne of some hidden desire to make things more difficult…
So in spite of the pushback we kept saying it. People kept hearing it. And then they started saying it too.
Now, the first thing I hear wherever I speak is almost always, “It’s a Great Day in South Carolina.†And they are right. Because, it almost always is.
At the end of my first month as governor, our unemployment rate stood at 11.1 percent. Jobs were scarce. Economic anxiety was real. People were hurting.
Bobby Hitt (Secretary of Commerce) and I have received a lot of credit for the economic revival that has transpired in South Carolina, and while it’s nice that people appreciate our work, this is so much more than him, or me, or any other single person…
Our unemployment rate is now 4.4 percent.
When I travel out of state, I am often asked about the change that has taken place in South Carolina, as if there is some secret formula to our successes. What we have accomplished in South Carolina has not been rocket science. It’s has been about common sense, a belief that all things are possible if you free people to pursue their own dreams, and a willingness to get creative and challenge norms.’
She also noted about the reforms that improved the quality of education in the state.
She said she is not sure how people will remember her. ‘I don’t presume to know what people will remember from my time as governor—I imagine it will be different for everyone. But I do know some of what I will take from the last six years, some of what I will remember.
‘I will remember that we brought a level of accountability to state government that never existed before, and that legislators now show their votes on the record, disclose who pays them, and no longer police themselves.
I will remember that we got our fiscal house in order, and that during my time in office, no Cabinet agency ran a deficit, all while we cut taxes, doubled our reserves, and reduced our debt service by half.
I will remember that we moved thousands from welfare-to-work and started preparing prisoners for life outside the fence, in the hope that they never again find themselves inside it.’
‘I spoke earlier of my dear desire to see the image of South Carolina changed for the better. Standing here tonight, I can say with every confidence that it has happened, that that desire has been fulfilled.
But not because of me. The people of South Carolina accomplished the highest aspiration I had for our state all on their own.
What a blessing to serve such people. What a profound blessing. Thank you for giving our family this opportunity. Because of you, South Carolina will always be our home.
It is a bittersweet thing, taking on this new challenge, moving on from this state that I so love, called to serve this nation I hold so dear.
And South Carolina will always be with me. As I move into this new capacity, it is the lessons I learned from this state and its people, starting all the way back when I was a young Indian girl in small, rural Bamberg who spent her time playing tennis and dreaming big, that I will take with me.
Faith. Hard work. Respect. Love of family. Love of country. These are the values that South Carolina has gifted to me. I will forever hold them close.
Don’t forget about us. We’re not going far. And we’re already looking forward to coming home to this state we love so deeply.’
