Washington:
The rising new Indian American star on the US political scene, Nikki Haley has appeared on the cover of the popular Newsweek magazine, seen as another sign of her enhanced status at the national level.
Identified as "The Face of the New South", on the cover page of the latest issue, Haley, 38, who is the Republican candidate for the governorship of South Carolina has been called the "earthy, attractive, articulate, and the GOP's newest star in a fast-changing south.
"For the November elections, Haley is pitted against Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen. If elected, she'll be South Carolina's first female governor and the second Indian American Governor after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.
"Now she's the hottest thing in South Carolina politics. And if she wins in November, becoming the state's first female and first nonwhite governor, she'll likely rocket to national prominence and secure a spot in the GOP firmament," the Newsweek said.
State Attorney General Henry McMaster, who lost to Haley in the GOP primary, said: "We have a new leader for the conservative movement in this country, right here in South Carolina."
Proud of her Indian heritage, Haley is quoted as saying by the magazine: "the fact that I happen to be an India female, of course that brings a new dynamic. But what I hope it does is cause a conversation in this state where we no longer live by labels, but we live by philosophies."
At the same time, her Democrat opponents are alleging that she is focusing more at the national media, rather on the State.