SC Gov. Nikki Haley to Deliver GOP State of the Union Response

— -- South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will deliver the Republican response to President Obama's final State of the Union address.

The South Carolina Republican, a rising star in the GOP, is seen as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate in 2016.

“I was honored to be asked by Speaker Ryan and Senator McConnell to deliver the Republican address to the nation,” Gov. Haley said in a statement. “This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities. I intend to speak about both.”

“In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation,” Ryan said in a statement.

Haley, who is 43 years old, is the youngest governor in the country and the first female and minority governor of South Carolina.

She received national attention earlier this year for her handling of the Charleston church shooting and the ensuing debate over the Confederate flag, which she ordered removed from the South Carolina statehouse.