Rena Haley Jackson: All About Nikki Haley's Daughter
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has spent the last few decades in the spotlight due to her roles in public service. According to her personal website, Nikki was the youngest governor in the U.S. at the time she served in the role, and she has continued to make headlines throughout her career. Yet, even since Nikki launched her presidential campaign in February 2023, her family details weren't well-known due to the Haleys' ability to stay out of the media spotlight.
However, in November 2023, the public started wondering about Rena Haley Jackson, Nikki's daughter. During the third GOP presidential primary debate earlier that month, Nikki called an opponent "scum" for mentioning Rena during the debate. According to The Hill, the tense exchange on stage resulted in audience members booing, presumably in support of Nikki and out of distaste for her family being attacked. At the same time, the public was left wondering who Rena was, and why another presidential contender mentioned Nikki's adult daughter on the debate stage.
While not a lot of information is known about Rena's earlier life, we do know that she has a strong work ethic and a passion for making a difference in others' lives like her mother, though she is not a famous politician like Nikki. As the 2024 presidential election primaries continue to heat up, there's also a chance we might see an occasional appearance from Rena at campaign events.
Rena Haley Jackson is Nikki Haley's eldest child
Nikki Haley has two children with husband William "Michael" Haley. According to People magazine, the couple met while they were attending colleges near each other in South Carolina in 1989. They soon started dating, and Michael even switched schools to attend Clemson University with Nikki. They eventually got married in 1996 in two ceremonies. This included a Sikh ceremony, which represented Nikki's family's faith, and a Methodist one, which represented Michael's. Rena Haley Jackson was their first child, born on June 8, 1998. She was born in South Carolina, the state where her parents have primarily resided since they graduated college. Rena also has a younger brother, Nalin Haley, who was born on September 6, 2001. Both Rena and her brother were baptized in the Methodist faith, which their mother Nikki was also reportedly baptized in before she married Michael.
Like most parents who are under public scrutiny, it seems that Nikki and Michael have done their best to keep their children's lives private, as Rena was kept out of the spotlight for most of her childhood. This even included when her mother, Nikki, became the 116th governor of South Carolina in 2011. We do know, according to the South Carolina Governor Archives, that the Haley family loves animals, and Rena herself had a goldfish named Paige when she was a teenager. We also know that Rena was on her cheerleading team when she was in high school, per People.
Rena Haley Jackson's part-time job as a teenager stirred controversy
In June 2010, Nikki Haley won the GOP primary for the South Carolina governor's race, which was interpreted as a sign that the southern state was turning a new leaf. "South Carolina just showed the rest of the country what we're made of," Nikki said at her victory party, as quoted by NPR. "It's a new day in our state, and I am very blessed to be a part of it." Rena Haley Jackson (then still just Haley) was also at the party in Columbia, and had just turned 12 years old that same month. Her mother, Nikki, went on to win the general governor's race against Vincent Sheheen. With her victory, Nikki became South Carolina's first minority governor, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Seeing her mother make history was likely inspiring for the young Rena. However, while she remained largely out of the spotlight, she did experience some controversy during Nikki's time as governor. When Rena was 14 years old, the Haleys were accused of nepotism over Rena's job at the South Carolina Statehouse gift shop. As South Carolina's newspaper The State reported at the time, Rena worked at a gift shop run by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. Nikki's office immediately fired back at the accusation through a spokesperson, Rob Godrey. The newspaper quoted him as saying that the reporters "should be ashamed for printing details of a 14-year-old's life and whereabouts, against the wishes of her parents and the request of the chief of SLED, who is ultimately responsible for her security."
Like her parents, Rena Haley Jackson attended Clemson University
After graduating high school, Rena Haley Jackson attended Clemson University, which is located in upstate South Carolina. Here, Rena seemed to follow in her parents' footsteps, as both Nikki Haley and Michael Haley attended Clemson University too. According to People, Michael reportedly transferred to Clemson after he and Nikki started dating so he could be with her more often. Nikki herself graduated from the university with an accounting degree in 1994. Later, in 2021, Nikki served her alma mater by working with the Clemson Board of Trustees, as reported by Clemson News.
Rena, on the other hand, studied nursing and psychology. She graduated from Clemson University in 2021 after finishing her bachelor's degree in nursing. Like her parents, Rena also found love while attending Clemson, as it was here that she met Joshua Jackson. Aside from studying nursing, Rena was also involved in the university outside of classes. For example, in 2019, during her junior year, Rena ran for student body president along with her friend, Collin Huskey, who ran for president. When asked about Rena's famous politician mother, Huskey told The Post and Courier, "I think (Rena) has made a name for herself with her hard work." After graduating from Clemson, Rena soon became a registered nurse after taking the required state exams, according to People. Rena lists herself as a pediatric nurse on her official Instagram profile.
In 2023, Rena Haley married Josh Jackson
Rena Haley married her boyfriend, Joshua (Josh) Jackson, in April 2023. Not only did the couple meet while attending Clemson University, but they also dated for more than three years, according to an Instagram post from Rena. As Business Insider reported, Josh played on the football team at Clemson, and he became a high school football coach and math teacher after graduation.
After getting engaged in July 2022, Nikki Haley shared the exciting news on X (previously known as Twitter). Here, she shared photos of Rena wearing an engagement ring, and the couple were obviously all smiles. Nikki wrote, "He asked ... she said yes! And just like that, we have another son. So proud and happy for both of them." She also shared the hashtag #ClemsonLoveStory in a nod to Rena meeting Josh at her alma mater. Rena and Josh married at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina on April 15 the following year. "The love that was felt during this ceremony was overwhelmingly special!" Rena wrote on Instagram. "It meant a lot to share our vows and have our friends and family pray over our marriage ... Marriage is such a gift and God is so good!!" Not only was it reportedly a lavish and expensive wedding, per Business Insider, but guests reportedly enjoyed hanging out with a Clemson Tiger mascot on the dance floor at the reception.
Rena Haley Jackson gained attention at the third GOP presidential primary debate in 2023
Aside from the fact that she's the daughter of a famous politician, Rena Haley Jackson seems to be your typical woman in her mid-20s who has her own career, several social media pages that she's semi-active on, and a brand-new marriage. While she's made appearances with her mother throughout the years, Rena has kept a relatively low profile, all things considered. However, this all changed during the third GOP presidential primary debate in 2023, where Nikki and fellow presidential contender, Vivek Ramaswamy, were constantly at odds with one another. The real turning point, however, was when Ramaswamy brought up Rena when the group debated TikTok. After Ramaswamy said, "She made fun of me for actually joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time," per NBC News, Nikki angrily replied, "Leave my daughter out of your voice ... Just scum."
Later after the debate, Nikki defended her anger and harsh remarks toward her opponent. "Look, I'm a mom. I'm a mom," she told NBC News. "So the second that you go and you start saying something about my 25-year-old daughter, I'm going to get my back up. But it's not even the personal part — there are serious differences I have with him." It's obvious that whether Nikki wins the Republican presidential nomination or the general election race or not, she will always put her role of mother first above everything else.