In an upcoming town hall event, Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will be providing details about their campaigns. As the spotlight intensifies, a resurfaced book excerpt from nearly 12 years ago sheds light on an interesting detail about Haley’s personal life. The excerpt, shared by a senior politics correspondent for Vox on social media, reveals how Haley renamed her husband, Michael Haley.
Haley’s 2012 book, “Can’t Is Not an Option,” recounts the story of how she modified her husband’s name. “You may be wondering how ‘Bill’ became South Carolina First Gentleman Michael Haley,” Haley wrote in her book. She explained that after they started dating, she looked at him one day and asked, “What’s your name?” To her surprise, he responded, “You know it’s Bill.”
Unconvinced, Haley playfully insisted, “You just don’t look like a Bill. What’s your whole name?” Her husband revealed, “‘William Michael.'” From that moment on, Haley started calling him Michael, and all her friends followed suit. The name change became so widely accepted that when he transferred to Clemson University, his friends there also referred to him as Michael.
While this renaming incident was reported in 2012, it remains largely unknown today. However, the resurfacing of this story on social media has gained significant attention, with the post amassing over 1 million views.
Nikki Haley’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has been gaining momentum in recent months. Her strong performances in the first three GOP primary debates have catapulted her to second place in New Hampshire, a crucial state in the Republican nominating calendar. She is also pulling even with DeSantis in Iowa, another important contest, trailing behind the front-runner, Donald Trump.
Haley’s campaign team has not provided a comment on the resurfaced book excerpt. As the 2024 campaign trail progresses, stay updated with the latest news, exclusive interviews, and more at our Digital election hub. For more political content, subscribe to our newsletter.
