Former SC Gov. Nikki Haley takes on new public relations job

Former U.N. Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley waves to the crowd after speaking on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party's presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Former South Carolina governor and presidential contender Nikki Haley has a new role with an international public relations firm, the company announced Wednesday.

Haley, who lives on Kiawah Island, will start this month working for Washington-based Edelman Global Advisory, the public affairs division within the 72-year-old Edelman. Her title will be vice chair, according to the news release, which provides no detail on what the role entails or her salary.

“In a time of growing complexities in business, policy, and politics — brands need to anticipate what’s coming next,” Haley was quoted as saying in a press release from Edelman. “I’m excited to join the team at Edelman to help their clients navigate the challenges ahead.”

Haley, first elected the Palmetto State’s governor in 2010, left during her second term to be then-President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, starting in January 2017.

Richard Edelman, the company CEO, was quoted in the press release praising Haley’s work as ambassador and her efforts to bring foreign businesses to South Carolina. Economic development wins for Haley, who branded herself the jobs governor, include Volvo selecting South Carolina for its first North American plant in 2015.

Haley has said she’s not looking for a job in a potential second Trump administration.

In 2023, Haley jumped into the Republican presidential primary, opposing her former boss. She ended as the last serious challenger to Trump.

Haley ultimately suspended her campaign after Super Tuesday , having won just Vermont and Washington, D.C. while Trump cruised to victory even in her home state’s GOP primary.

Although Haley declined to endorse Trump when she left the race, her public support for him since has grown from confirming she would vote for him to fully endorsing him at the Republican National Convention .

A month after leaving the race, she also took a job with the conservative, Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute think tank as the Walter P. Stern Chair. The position, created in 2020, is named for the institute’s longtime chairman .

Haley also worked in the private sector after resigning as U.N. ambassador, including giving a number of high-dollar speeches that paid at least $100,000 and possibly up to $1 million each, according to a mandated financial report she filed last spring.

A spokesperson for Edelman referred questions about her new role to her spokespeople. They did not immediately respond with further details.