Here Are Some 'Strange' Things About GOP Candidate Nikki Haley’s Marriage to Michael Haley
Nikki Haley has had an unconventional romantic path. Her marriage to Michael Haley had its share of oddities, including a name change that may have prompted suspicions and a meet-cute in which her husband was courting someone else. But as it turns out, even though Michael was apparently in love with someone else when he met Nikki for the first time, Nikki continued to play the waiting game, which would thankfully come to an end quite quickly, as she stated in her book Can't Is Not an Option.
When it comes to Michael's name, the couple's love tale takes an unexpected turn. Originally named William Michael Haley, he went by "Bill" throughout his early years. However, Nikki, who is always the one to make decisions, felt that Bill didn't match her vision of her husband. "Everyone who knows him before I did knows him as Bill, and everyone who met him after I did knows him as Michael," she explained in her book, PEOPLE reported.
Linguist Laurel Sutton said that although this could seem like a trivial issue, making such requests could cause conflict in a relationship. "To tell someone to change their name because of your personal preferences, that's a big ask," Sutton told the New York Times.
The Haleys' time apart is one of the more difficult parts of their marriage. Twice since 2012, while Nikki was South Carolina's governor, Michael, a member of the National Guard, has been sent abroad: first in 2012 and now in June 2023. Michael is currently thousands of miles away in Djibouti, whereas Nikki is vying for the Republican presidential candidacy, traversing the country, per Nicki Swift.
When Michael was going to be deployed to Afghanistan back in 2012, he shared, "I can't help but think giving one year along with my fellow soldiers, as many have done before me, to secure a life of freedom for my family is well worth all that comes with it." Nikki also seems to have learned to laugh at their situation. "He deployed while I was governor, so he left me as a single-mom governor. And yes, we're still married," she joked to a crowd.
When Nikki's parents faced foreclosure on their house, and Nikki and Michael were named as defendants, financial difficulties also entered into their story. Nikki made the unexpected decision to leave her $185,000-a-year government position as ambassador to the UN to help her family through the difficult times. By choosing to accept book agreements, give speeches in public, and provide consultancy services, Nikki demonstrated her tenacity and dedication to her family's welfare.
In If You Want Something Done...: Leadership Lessons from Bold Women, her book from 2022, Nikki thanked her mother for teaching her how to face obstacles in life. "To my mom, who taught me how to dream, how to fight, how to love, but most importantly how to live with a faith in God that would get me through anything," she wrote.
