The husband of former South Carolina governor and current presidential candidate Nikki Haley will deploy to Africa in the coming weeks with the Army National Guard, a person familiar with the plans told The Washington Post.
The deployment, which will likely last through next spring, stretches through most of Haley’s primary campaign, according to the person familiar with the plans, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. It is Michael Haley’s second active duty trip overseas after he served in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2013.
“Our family, like every military family, is ready to make personal sacrifices when our loved one answers the call,” said Nikki Haley. “We could not be prouder of Michael and his military brothers and sisters. Their commitment to protecting our freedom is a reminder of how blessed we are to live in America.”
The South Carolina National Guard put out a call this spring to officers like Michael Haley, a major, to deploy to Africa. The story was first reported by the Associated Press.
On the campaign trail, Haley has made jokes about her husband’s first deployment, which came while she was governor.
“He deployed while I was governor, so he left me as a single mom governor,” she told a crowd in Iowa in February. “And yes, we’re still married.”
She then went on to criticize the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration.
Haley, the first prominent Republican to challenge Donald Trump for the presidency, has tried to pitch herself as an unapologetic antiabortion voice who can win back swing voters.
Since Haley launched her campaign in February, she’s drawn implicit contrasts with Trump while avoiding direct public criticism.
The former South Carolina governor and former United Nations ambassador has tried to break out of a crowded GOP field, sparking tensions in South Carolina since Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined the race.
As governor, Haley repeatedly dismissed efforts to remove the Confederate flag from the State House until a mass killing changed her position, a Washington Post review of her action’s in the five years before the massacre found.
Haley would be the first woman and first Asian American GOP presidential nominee. She has highlighted her gender and her family’s immigrant roots while trying to reassure voters they are not barriers for her success. She’s called for “a new generation of leadership.”