Indian-American Nikki Haley wins Republican nomination in South Carolina

South Carolina (US) June 23 (ANI): Indian American Nikki Haley has created history by winning the Republican nomination for the gubernatorial elections to be held in November, placing her within one step of being elected this fall as the state's first female governor in South Carolina.

Haley is the first Republican woman picked for the post bypassing all allegations of marital infidelity and an ethnic slur against her during her election campaign.

"South Carolina just showed the rest of the country what we're made of," the Fox News quoted Nikki Haley as saying after her victory.

"We want a conservative government, and we want a government that is accountable to the people," she added.

Besides Haley, an African American Tim Scott secured a Republican nomination for Congressional District after he defeated Paul Thurmond.n the unofficial results for Georgetown County, Scott easily defeated Thurmond, 2,330 to 1,813.

Scott will face Democrat Ben Frasier, another black contender, in November elctions. If Scott wins, he will become the nation's first black GOP congressman since 2003 when Oklahoma's J.C. Watts retired.

Haley beat U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett in Tuesday's runoff, riding the backlash against the state's rough-and-tumble politics. She had come within a point of taking the victory outright on June 8. As counting continued, she led with 63 percent of the vote to Barrett's 37 percent.

While, 44-year-old Scott was the first black Republican in the South Carolina Legislature in more than a century when elected in 2008, Haley has come to limelight in the past few months but got a crucial boost with early support from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement.

Haley also managed the support of former South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford.

"This is a state that has long since been known for its negative politics and the politics of personal destruction, it's about time that the political class realized that those politics won't work anymore. And what we really need, we have real issues in our state that need to be addressed." The Politico quoted the former First Lady of South Carolina as saying.

Nikki Haley's historic victory in South Carolina is a testament to her hard work, perseverance and determination. Her success ushers in a new era of South Carolina politics, and represents a growing new generation of Republican leaders from across the country," Republican Governors' The Politico quoted Republican Governors' Association executive director Nick Ayers as saying. (ANI)