WASHINGTON

Republican candidate Nikki Haley kicked off her campaign Wednesday for president in the US state of South Carolina.

Haley, who carried out her first election campaign in Charleston, South Carolina, announced to supporters that she was officially a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Haley, who would become the first female president in the US, if elected, stressed the need for a "new generation" in Washington.

She said the status quo in Washington needs to change and urged mandatory “mental competency tests” for politicians older than 75.

"In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire," she said. "We’ll have term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old."

Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and served as South Carolina’s first female governor from 2011 to 2017

She resigned her UN post in December 2018 after serving two years in the Donald Trump administration.