Haley Tells Women’s Panel Her ‘War Stories’

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley shared her “war stories” with an audience of women in Tampa, Fla., and urged them not to let sexist slights stop them from pursuing a career in public service.

Haley addressed “Her New View,” a panel discussion in Tampa sponsored by the online magazine The Palladian View, on Sunday. The freshman governor is scheduled to address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night.

“As we go through life, we have war stories,” Haley said at the panel discussion, according to The State newspaper. “You’re so thankful for them. They make you realize your potential.”

She recounted some of her past experiences, such as when, in her first corporate job, a male executive asked Haley to get their boss a cup of coffee. Haley buzzed her assistant and asked her to bring the coffee. “They never asked me to get a cup of coffee again,” Haley said.

She also said that during her first bid for a seat in South Carolina’s House of Representatives, a group of men encouraged her to drop out because her opponent was their friend. They promised her an unspecified position later on if she would cooperate, Haley said.

According to The State, she said she told the men, “I’m not going to get out of the race, but tell your friend he should get out of the race, and I’d be happy to consider him for a position . . . Every one of them (the men who suggested she quit the race) gave me a $1,000 check.”