February 17, 2016

Watch South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley Endorse Marco

Chapin, South Carolina Rally
Governor Nikki Haley
February 17, 2016

HALEY: Is it a great day in South Carolina?

We are so excited that you are here today. I want to just share a personal story with you. You know I love the great state of South Carolina. And you know that I always say I am the proud daughter of Indian parents. That reminded us every day how blessed we were to live in this country. But the one thing I always know is I'm always trying to take care of South Carolina. Last year, we faced a year where I tried to hold onto the state as much as I could. And for the first time, I felt vulnerable. And the people of South Carolina made us all strong.

They made us strong in a way that they knew we had fight. They made us strong in a way we knew we had grace and we had compassion and we had acceptance, and more than anything, we had the ability to be better when tested. So when it was time to look at this presidential race, I thought from a different perspective. That this is serious. That this matters. So I thought, first and foremost, as a mom, who wants her children to be safe in our country. Who wants her children to have the education and the opportunities, so that they can be better than we were, which is what my parents wanted for us. I am a military wife of a combat Veteran.

I want a president who is going to have the backs of our military Veterans, and those in active duty. I want a president that knows that when we fight wars, we win wars. I want a president that understands we have to stop the federal mandates that have been pushed on the states like Obamacare and the EPA. But I want a president who understands that they have to go back to Washington D.C. and bring a conscience back to our Republicans.

Our Republicans need to remember what we are about, which is about balanced budgets, cutting debt, building reserves and making sure that they understand that this guy, he is all about term limits in D.C., and that is what we want to see in a president.

We have good people in this race. We have good people running for president. And I thank them today for their sacrifice and their willingness to serve to honor this great country and to make her better. But my job was to find the person I thought could do it the best. So I wanted somebody with fight. I wanted somebody with passion. I wanted somebody that had conviction to do the right thing, but I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all the people. I wanted somebody that was going to go and show my parents that the best decision they ever made for their children was coming to America.

We say that every day is a great day in South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, if we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America!

Help me welcome the next President of the United States -- let's go to the polls on Saturday and move that down the way -- Marco Rubio!

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Democratic National Committee

DNC Statement on Governor Nikki Haley's endorsement of Senator Marco Rubio's White House bid

 DNC National Press Secretary Mark Paustenbach issued the follow statement on the endorsement by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley of Senator Marco Rubio’s White House bid:

“Given Governor Haley’s weak record in South Carolina, her decision to endorse a candidate with little record of his own makes perfect sense. In fact, on the issues that matter most to South Carolinians, she has failed to lead. Governor Haley refuses to establish a state minimum wage, which would help nearly 595,000 South Carolinians make ends meet. She has steadfastly opposed the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, which would allow 160,000 South Carolinians to gain health insurance. And her administration has failed to adequately address childhood poverty, an issue that affects the lives of far too many South Carolinians. It’s no surprise Haley feels comfortable lending her name to Rubio, a candidate whose campaign has been desperately trying to hide his own lack of actual accomplishments.”


American Bridge 21st Century

Rubio And Gov. Haley Find Common Ground Over Shady Ethics Histories

Marco Rubio has a shady ethics history that stretches back to his time in the Florida House of Representatives. Appropriately, the U.S. Senator from Florida's latest endorser, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, has her own history of ethics controversies.

Here's a taste of Rubio's ethical low-lights:

• Florida Republican Party Credit Card -- Marco Rubio used a Florida Republican Party credit card to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenditures. Rubio used the card to pay for a family trip and a home improvement project, among other things, but that's not all. Rubio's campaign insists that he's made all of the credit card records public, but, as National Journal reported last month, some of his spending records remain undisclosed.
  
  
• The $48 Million "Taj Mahal" Courthouse -- Personal use of the Florida GOP credit card isn't Rubio's only foray into ethical gray areas. Back in 2010, Rubio similarly faced scrutiny for his involvement as a "driving force" behind Tallahassee's so-called "Taj Mahal" courthouse. The opulent courthouse's ostentatious amenities include: "mahogany-trimmed offices, kitchens and bathrooms in judicial suites," bulletproof windows, dozens of 60-inch flat screen TVs with cable, granite counter-tops, and soundproofed bathrooms for each judge. According to the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board, Rubio -- who was behind the $48 million-dollar project's approval -- reacted to scrutiny by "first claiming ignorance and then blaming others." As the editorial board put it at the time: "Marco Rubio has a terrible memory or an aversion to telling the truth."

Like Rubio, Governor Haley has had a number ethics questions crop up over the years, ranging for her improper use of state-owned vehicles and missed tax-filing deadlines, to her shady tax payer-funded economic development trips to Europe and India.

Here are a few shady episodes from Haley's time as governor:

The Post and Courier: European vacation or legitimate business? Haley's fiscal priorities under fire as summer 'jobs' trip detailed