Henry McMaster made Governor of South Carolina
By Wes Emory
Nikki Haley, newly-appointed Ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, resigned as Governor of South Carolina following her confirmation to her new post on Tuesday. Immediately after her resignation, Henry McMaster, the Lieutenant Governor under Haley, was sworn in as Governor in a ceremony at the state house in Columbia.
“We appreciate very much what you have done to help our state,” said McMaster to Haley in his speech after the swearing in. “You have done a splendid job. We wish you well.” Taking McMaster’s place as Lieutenant Governor is Kevin Bryant, a Republican Senator from South Carolina’s 3rd district.
One group that is highly involved in the state house is the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Bryant Sims, First Vice President of the state Convention and Pastor of 1st Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Greenwood, said of McMaster: “He is a Godly man and I believe he will be a good Governor.” Sims also expressed his hope that McMaster would continue to work with the Convention and cooperate with groups like Connie Maxwell.
McMaster served as Attorney General from 2003 until 2011. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2015, the same year Haley was elected to her second term. He served in this capacity until his appointment as Governor this Tuesday.
Haley was elected Governor in 2011 and reelected in 2015. She was the first female Governor of the state and one of two Indian-American Governors in the United States, the other being Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. She was chosen to represent the Republican as the official response to President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address. In 2016 she was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Haley was the 116th Governor of South Carolina and is the 29th Ambassador to the United Nations.
