Nikki Haley Warns Presidential Candidates: 'No Dirty Tricks' (VIDEO)

Nikki Haley Warns Presidential Candidates: 'No Dirty Tricks'

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) weighed in on the race shaping up for the Republican presidential nomination during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday morning.

"The second a political consultant tries to play dirty tricks, it will backfire and it will hurt that candidate," explained Haley. "And so my warning to every candidate coming into South Carolina is come in, talk about the issues, that's what we want to hear about, but the distractions are not welcome in South Carolina."

The remarks come one day after former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee announced that he will not run for president in the next election cycle. Haley spoke about the presidential ambitions of some of the other Republican names still eyeing the White House in what appears to be a wide-open primary race.

The South Carolina governor signaled her belief that Mitt Romney's implementation of health care reform in Massachusetts when he was governor could prove problematic for his chances. She said, "I think that Newt Gingrich has dealt with a lot of issues in the past, and I think now he's going to have to show that he's got those ideas to deal with the future."

As for Donald Trump, Haley offered a critical take of a curse-filled speech the billionaire and potential presidential contender recently delivered in Las Vegas.

"That is not appropriate in South Carolina," she said, echoing similar remarks she recently made when asked about Trump's use of the "f-word." "We will give all of our candidates respect, and we certainly expect our candidates to come in and give the people of South Carolina respect."

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