Nikki Haley rules out VP run, says would support Donald Trump

Washington, May 5: The two-term popular Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley has ruled out contesting for a Republican vice presidential run but said she would vote for her party's presidential nominee.

"I have great respect for the will of the people, and as I have always said, I will support the Republican nominee for president," Indian-American Haley said in a brief statement a day after Donald Trump won the Indiana primary and became the presumptive nominee of the party for the November general elections.

However, Haley, who had endorsed the Florida Senator Marco Rubio and campaigned for him extensively before he withdrew from the race, did not name Trump in her statement.

"To the members of the press who are asking, while I am flattered to be mentioned and proud of what that says about the great things going on in South Carolina, my plate is full and I am not interested in serving as vice president," Haley said.

On Wednesday, Trump told ABC News that his vice presidential pick would be someone with political experience having the respect to deal with the Senate and the Congress. "... while I've been in the world of politics all my life, the business, I will handle so well, we will bring our jobs back and we'll bring our economy back.

But I would like to have somebody who could truly be good with respect to dealing with the Senate, dealing with Congress, getting legislation passed, working toward something where we're not signing executive orders every three days like President Obama does," Trump said.

"And I think probably I would like to go with somebody with great political experience," Trump said in response to a question but added that he did not have any name in his mind as such at the moment.

PTI